The Wedding Party
by Linny2009
Summary: Six years ago, Haley James walked away from everything - her marriage, her friends, her life. And now she's coming home for the wedding of two of her best friends. But Haley's not the only one returning to the place she has come to fear the most.
1. Chapter 1

**I had started this story like three years ago, and posted it under a different account. Then I completely quit the fanfiction for a while. I stopped reading and writing and then I decided I wanted to get back into it and update this story. Unfortunately, I don't remember that account it was under at all...I got a new e-mail address so I couldn't get my password or anything to get back on it, so I decided to get a new account, and repost it. I've changed it a lot. I've tried to make it better than what it was. It's not like the old one. I'm hoping it's a lot better.**

**Basically, for a quick background -- Haley and Nathan never reconciled after she came home from the tour in season 2. She went on with her music career, and he went on with basketball, and now the two of them are about to meet for the first time in six years. (At Peyton and Jake's wedding.)**

**Enjoy, and please, please, please review! :)**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

Haley James looked up from the ring glistening in the California sun long enough to see her older sister, Taylor, nearly run them off the road. "Tay!" she cried out. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Relax, Haley." She rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to get you to the airport on time."

"Okay," she blew out, trying to remain calm. She was so stressed right now. It wasn't even funny. She was returning to Tree Hill, North Carolina. A town she had left about six years ago without looking back. Making sure her sister was focused on her reckless driving, she discreetly removed the ring from her left finger and placed it in a velvet box that sat in her purse.

Taylor just happened to glance over. "Why aren't you wearing that?" she inquired.

"This is Peyton's week. The fact that she and Jake are getting married is big enough. She doesn't need my news to add to that. And plus, I'm going back there after six years of hardly seeing anyone. I don't want any extra attention on me," she explained.

Her sister gave her a funny look. Well, the reasoning sounded good in Haley's mind. "Whatever. When you won that Grammy, you got attention nonstop. Why do you want it over now?"

"I just do, okay?" she bit out, frustrated. She loved her sister, but sometimes, she was a little too nosy for her own good. She always thought she knew what was best for Haley and why Haley did this and why she did that. It was nice that she cared, but it was downright aggravating at times.

"Okay," she said, holding a hand in the air to surrender.

"Taylor!" Haley closed her eyes. "Both hands on the wheel!" She was seriously the worst driver Haley had ever been around. The only reason she had agreed to let her sister drive was because she didn't want to leave her car at the airport for the few days she would be gone.

"Haley, if you want to make your flight on time, shut up. Now, I'm sure Jared loves the fact that you're not wearing your ring."

"He doesn't even know," she said quietly. "All he knows is that I'm going back to Tree Hill for a wedding."

"Doesn't he want to go with you?" she questioned, turning a corner. "He surely would like to know where you grew up, got married, and got an annulment!"

Haley shut her eyes again. She tended to do that when she was nervous or ashamed. "He doesn't know about Nathan. He doesn't know I was ever married, Tay," she admitted after a silence.

"What?! How could you not tell him something that huge?!"

Haley thought of her fiancé. His name was Jared Grant and he was a year older than her. She had met him backstage at a concert. He had been interning with a record producer and just happened to catch her show. They had hit it off immediately and began dating a few weeks later.

That was a year and a half ago. And now here they were: engaged to be married. The proposal had shocked her, to say the least. She hadn't been expecting it at all. They were just sitting at Starbucks one day, and he had asked her if she wanted to sip coffee with him for the rest of their lives. Confused, she asked him what he meant, and he dropped down to one knee, pulling the ring out of his pocket. And the rest was history. She said yes, and that was that.

Looking back on it, she wished she had more time to think about it. Yes, she loved Jared, and wanted to marry him. But she was hiding things from him. Big things that threatened to tear the two of them apart once he found out. Things that had to deal with that little '23' tattoo that was still on her lower back.

He saw it sometimes and each time he saw it, he asked her what it meant. She always told him it was a tribute to Michael Jordan, but every time she said it, he knew she was lying. It was probably because she really couldn't stand to watch basketball - especially the LA Lakers. He rolled his eyes at her each time, and told her that one day, he would find out the truth behind the tattoo. She just prayed to God that he didn't.

--

Nathan Scott threw his duffel bag into the backseat of his Escalade and double checked to make sure he had everything before hopping into the driver's seat. He smiled at the petite blonde beside him who reached out and brushed his bangs away from his forehead. "You all set?" she asked sweetly.

He looked into the eyes of his girlfriend of seven months. Alyssa Townsend was so wonderful for him. She was caring and understanding, and knew his moods perfectly. She knew when he needed to talk and when he needed to be alone. She wasn't hard on the eyes either.

"I think so," he replied.

"Good. I'm sorry I've got this business thing, Nate. I really wanted to be there."

"I know you did." He started the truck and pulled out of his garage, waving at the security guard as they cruised out of his neighborhood. "I wish you were going. I don't know who I'm going to get to be my date now."

"Oh, you'll be just fine."

Nathan wished he could believe her. He was returning to a town he rarely went back to unless it was holiday or some funeral or wedding. He hated Tree Hill and liked to be as far away from it as possible. There was too much to deal with there. Too many memories and problems from the past. It killed him to walk by certain places and know what had gone on there back in high school.

The truth was, Tree Hill was the place where the great Nathan Scott had gotten his heart broken. He didn't like to look back on that. When he was in California, Nathan didn't need to worry about going by places that held memories of his former wife, Haley. He didn't need to worry about getting sympathetic looks from people because they knew he was deserted by her. He just didn't need to worry about anything except basketball, and that was the way he liked it.

He knew they both lived in California, that much he was certain of. She was a famous singer and he played for the Lakers. Of course they would both be stationed there. Luckily for him, they had never once seen each other. He could only imagine what would happen if they did. He would probably be a complete ass and she would be a bitch and that would be that.

That was a big reason he was nervous about going back to Tree Hill. Haley would be at the wedding. He was certain of that. She and Peyton had been really close in high school, and he knew that when Haley left, their friendship had suffered. Last he had heard though was that they had patched things up and Peyton flew out to California quite frequently to visit Haley along with the text messages and phone calls they exchanged daily. At least that was what Brooke had told him anyway.

"I know. Luke and Brooke will be there," he reminded her. "They'll keep me in line."

She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "I hope you don't get out of line, Nathan Scott. If you do, I might have to fly down personally and whip your ass into shape."

"Hmm." He smirked. "Well, if it's a promise that you're going to fly out and see me, then you can bet I'll get out of line."

"Or I could just call up Brooke and tell her to whip you into shape," she suggested, earning an eye roll from her boyfriend. "I know you'd love that."

"Hell no. I'll behave myself." Nathan loved his brother's girlfriend. He really did. It was just sometimes she was a little…difficult. She was fiercely loyal and protective of the people closest to her, and unfortunately for Nathan, Haley had always been closer to Brooke than he had. In the situation that he and Haley might have it out, he knew Brooke would defend Haley and bite his head off.

They arrived at the airport just a few minutes later and Nathan kissed his girlfriend goodbye. Grabbing his carry on, he handed his boarding pass to the stewardess. She checked it and handed it back to him, a big smile on her face. "You're Nathan Scott? Star basketball player for the Lakers Nathan Scott?"

He gave her a charming smile. He loved it when people knew who he was. "That would be me."

"Oh!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Is there anyway I could get an autograph? My son absolutely adores you!"

"Sure." She handed him a pen and a piece of paper that was at the desk beside her and Nathan quickly signed his name and a short message thanking him for the support.

He got on the plane and smiled when he saw a petite blonde that he would be sharing his seat with. He had a thing for those little blondes. He watched as she struggled to put her bag above her seat. He was about to offer help when he noticed her tiny black t-shirt ride up in the back. And that was when he saw it. The '23' tattoo.

"Holy shit," he muttered, eyes growing wide.

Haley turned around with a smile on her face. She expected to find a fan wanting an autograph or a picture, and she was always more than willing to oblige for those. If not for her fans, she wouldn't be in the great state that she was today. Instead of finding a fan though, she came face to face with a man she had left behind six years ago.

"Oh my God," she breathed out.

Nathan rolled his eyes then. Of course it was just his luck. Years of not running into each other and then they get stuck on the same flight. Not to mention the exact same seating area. Great. His day had just gone to hell.

"Nathan -"

"Here," he said gruffly, ignoring her attempt at a greeting or whatever the hell it was. He took the bag from her a bit too forcefully and shoved it into the bag compartment easily, smirking at her when he was finished. "You took too long."

"Oh, um, thanks." She offered him a tiny smile and slid into the seat. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against it. She could not believe this was happening. She knew he lived in California. Brooke had informed her of that, but she had never run into him. And now she was going to have to deal with everything all at once. She knew she was going to have to do that sometime, but not on her airplane ride to North Carolina.

"I'm assuming you're going to the wedding," she told him as he angrily got in his own seat.

"No, I'm going back because I love Tree Hill so much," he bit back sarcastically.

"Nathan." She shook her head. "I-I don't know what to say right now, so -"

"Then don't," he replied automatically. "Don't say or do anything. You don't talk to me and I don't talk to you. Deal?"

She closed her eyes again. Of course this was the way it was going to go and she couldn't blame Nathan for being like that. She had walked away from him a long time ago, and she didn't expect him to shower her with hugs and kisses. A little courtesy would have been nice though. It wasn't like she had left him because she didn't love him. It was because she had a dream and it was as big as his basketball dream was back then.

"Don't make this difficult, Nathan, please," she whispered. "It was my home once too."

"But you left it, didn't you?" he snarled. "You left it and you know what, Haley? Everything you'll probably hear from me later on? You deserve it. You deserve to know what a bitch everyone thinks you are. You deserve to hear that I hate you. You get that, Hales?" He called her that nickname as a way to hurt her, and by the look on her face, he could tell that it had. "I hate you."

After looking into his cold blue eyes for a minute, she turned around to the man behind her. "Excuse me sir? Would you mind trading me seats?" The man agreed with her and she stood up to move.

"That's the way to do it, Haley," Nathan scoffed. "Run away just like you always have."

"Go to hell," she whispered harshly.

When the plane took off, Nathan leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. Maybe he had been too harsh with her, but he couldn't help it. There was so much he had wanted to tell Haley ever since she had left him, and he had been holding it in so long that it just all came out as soon as he saw her.

He remembered the night she showed up on his doorstep after being gone for so long. He had been so incredibly surprised to see her. Part of him had just wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. But the other part of him…the part that had been buried when he married her…it wanted to just tell her how much he hated her and that he never wanted to see her again.

_"Hi," she greeted like it was the most common thing in the world. He noticed she was holding onto her duffel bag for dear life. It was then that he realized she might be coming home, and his heart sped up._

_"What are you doing here?" he questioned, his voice cold and hard._

_"I'm done with the tour, Nathan," she announced in a soft voice. "I realized what I want…what I've always wanted has been here in Tree Hill all along. And that's you."_

_He scoffed at that. He couldn't believe that lie. He wouldn't believe it. If she had really wanted him as much as she said she did, she wouldn't have left him. She wouldn't have walked away and she wouldn't have lied about kissing that bastard Chris Keller. She wouldn't have even gotten involved with that little punk in the first place. But no, she had run away with him._

_"I find that really hard to believe," he told her, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the night air. There was no way he was inviting her inside that house. She didn't deserve to be in his mother's house. In fact, she almost didn't deserve to be standing on that porch, but he wouldn't be that rude. "You walked away from us, Haley. You turned your back on me when you knew how much I loved you."_

_"You told me we were done!" she defended. "You told me if I wanted to go, we were done! And you know what, Nathan? I wanted to go! I wanted to see if I had a shot at my dream! Just like you and your basketball dreams! You're not the only one who has to think of a future here!"_

_"Well it looks like you picked it, huh? Your music over your husband. Nice choice," he mumbled._

_"God." She turned around and sank down onto the porch steps. She waited until he sat beside her which he did after a few minutes of debating it. "Nathan." She turned to him. "I need you to know that I love you. I loved you when I married you and when I walked out. I loved you throughout that entire tour and I love you now. And you know what? I'll continue to love you until I die."_

_"Haley -"_

_She held up her hand. "Let me finish, please."_

_"Okay," he agreed quietly._

_"I need to know if we can ever have a future together again, Nathan. Because if we can, I'll come home. I'll finish out high school here and we can try again. And if you don't think we can, I need you to tell me."_

_He thought about it for a minute. Here she was. Finally back in Tree Hill where he had wanted her to be for a long time now. She was offering him everything he had dreamed of since she had walked out that night, but the thing was, he didn't think he wanted it anymore. He had learned to be strong without her. As hard as it had been, he had done it. He had his brother in his life and some great friends. The truth was, Nathan didn't think he needed her as much as he used to._

_"No," he said after a minute. "I don't think we can."_

_"Okay." She nodded like she knew that was what the answer was going to be. Standing up, she brushed off her jeans. "I'll get the annulment papers to you as soon as possible, alright?"_

_"Yeah," he replied, standing up as well. "Thank you."_

_"Um.." She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then."_

_"Guess so."_

_"Have a really great life, Nathan. You deserve it so much." She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and then she was gone._

_Nathan watched her go, wondering if he had made a mistake. She had broken his heart, and he knew that. He wasn't about to deny it to anyone. He would always have a broken heart because of her. He wasn't sure he would ever get over it. The thing was, even with her standing there offering to give everything up so they could be together, he didn't trust her. He didn't trust that she wouldn't break his heart again. It had hurt so much the first time that he didn't think he would survive it a second._

_He couldn't get back with Haley. He couldn't risk it again._

Haley woke up breathing heavily. She glanced at the man sitting beside her, embarrassed. Thankfully, he was fast asleep. She couldn't believe she had dreamed about that night. She hadn't thought of that in so long. It was one of the most painful nights of her life, and she tried to keep it pushed to the back of her mind. She thought she was doing a good job up until now.

She was about to close her eyes again when she heard the intercom click on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've arrived in Tree Hill."

And there they both were. At the place they had come to fear the most.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just wanted to add in the disclaimer...I own nothing related to One Tree Hill.**

**And by the way, thank you all for the replies! I seriously love getting them, and they make me want to continue on with the story. You guys rock and keep them coming! :)**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

Brooke Davis leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and sighed. They had been waiting at the airport for Haley for like an hour now. She blamed Lucas totally that they had been there so long. He had wanted to be there just in case her flight got in early but of course, it didn't. So now she was sitting there bored out of her mind while her boyfriend tapped away at his laptop.

"Luke," she whined. "I'm bored."

"I know." He turned and kissed the top of her head. "Just wait. I'm sure it'll be in soon."

Brooke nodded and gave him a tiny smile, letting him get back to his work. She was so excited that Haley was coming to Tree Hill for Peyton and Jake's wedding. She hadn't seen her since Christmas time when she and Lucas had flown out to California for a visit, and Haley rarely went back there. She only came home for big things like weddings and funerals and the occasional holiday. Never just for a visit, which Brooke would have really liked.

She and Haley had been extremely close in high school. It hadn't always been that way, though. Brooke was a cheerleader and Haley was just a tutor in the library after school. She wasn't social and Brooke was. When Brooke started dating Lucas Scott, best friend to Haley, they had grown close. Eventually, Brooke considered Haley one of her best friends, and it killed her when Haley had left. She, however, was the only one that didn't hold grudges about her leaving. Brooke knew what it was like to have a dream and want to chase it. She wouldn't ever hold that against her. She and Haley had continued to talk constantly since high school, and she was still one of her best friends.

She was nervous for what was about to come. She knew how excited everyone would be to see Haley after her rare returns. That wasn't what scared her. What scared her was the fact that Haley would be in Peyton's wedding party, and so would Nathan. Haley's ex. Haley had broken Nathan's heart and although he wouldn't ever admit it, she knew it still hurt him to this day. She knew he would be completely bitter with Haley when he saw her and she didn't want that for her friend. She just wanted some peace. It was Peyton's week and Peyton didn't deserve to have her week turned upside down by some grudges from a high school marriage that hadn't even lasted a year.

She looked up when she saw the people around her moving and a smile formed on her face. People were getting off the plane now and coming into the terminal. She had been so focused on her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed it land. "Lucas." She nudged him and he looked up at her.

"What's up, pretty girl?"

She felt her heart warm at his nickname for her. It made her so happy to know that she had found someone as great as him. "The plane's letting passengers off," she replied. "That means Haley's about to get off soon!"

He could see how excited she was and he quickly saved his work before shutting his laptop. Standing up, he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend so they could see Haley when she walked through the gate. Brooke latched onto him tightly. She was so excited for this. She hadn't been able to sleep for days. In fact, she was currently awake because of Starbucks Frappuccinos and Caramel Macchiatos.

Her eyes searched for her friend. She squealed when she saw her flip her long blonde hair over her shoulder and look around. "Luke! There's Haley!"

Lucas grinned. "Hales!" he called out. "Over here!"

"Luke! Brooke! Oh my God!" Haley ran over to them as best she could in the stiletto heels she had so stupidly worn that day. She wasn't even thinking when she grabbed them out of her closet. "Look at you guys!"

"Look at you!" Brooke squealed in return. "Your hair is so blonde and long now! I mean, I've seen pictures but nothing compares to having the real fake blonde Haley James in Tree Hill!"

"She means you look great," Lucas translated, pulling Haley in for a tight hug. "We've missed you around here, buddy."

"I've missed you guys too. So much!" She let Lucas go and put her arms around Brooke who held on for dear life.

"It's so good to see you, Tutor Girl!" she told her, using the nickname she had given her junior year. "Peyton was going to come, but Jenny ended up having a dance recital so we're all supposed to go out to dinner later once we get you settled."

"Okay." Haley nodded.

"So, Hales, how was the flight?" Lucas asked.

"Actually, it was -"

"Hell."

Haley, Lucas and Brooke all whipped around to find none other than Nathan Scott standing there. He looked extremely pissed off and he dropped his carry on bag beside him. Brooke glanced between the two of them nervously. Here it was. The thing she had been worrying about was here.

Lucas blinked a few times like he couldn't believe his brother was there. "Nate?" He quickly put his arms around his younger brother. He saw him a lot, but not as often as he would have liked. "Your flight wasn't supposed to be in for like three hours."

"Plans changed." Nathan shrugged. "Alyssa knew I was ready to go so she called the airline and got it changed."

Haley heard the name Alyssa and wondered if it was the name of Nathan's girlfriend. She knew he had to have one. He was Nathan freaking Scott. He was a star basketball player and a great looking guy. He wasn't going to stay single forever, she knew that.

"We're going to miss her this week," Brooke told him. "So, uh…you guys were on the same flight?"

"Unfortunately," Nathan mumbled.

"Nathan!" Lucas admonished, truly disappointed in his brother. He knew that Haley had broken Nathan's heart a long time ago but he thought Nathan could maybe show her some class. His brother was a good person, but he was not showing it now that he was around Haley again.

"It's fine, Luke," she said softly. "We were in the same section for a while, but things were too, ah, tense so I moved," she explained.

"Hmm. Awkward much?" Brooke asked the broken up couple.

Haley smiled at her friends. That Brooke. Always the blunt one. She admired Brooke for being the way she was. She always spoke her mind and everyone knew what she was feeling. It wasn't always the best quality to have because of peoples' feeling but at least she was always honest with everyone.

"Let's just get the bags," Lucas suggested, trying to ease some of the obvious tension. He wrapped his arms around both the girls, leaving Nathan to grab Lucas's laptop and his own bag.

"This is great," Nathan muttered. "My brother gets to be all over my ex-wife and I get stuck with the damn bags. Lovely." Brooke heard him and turned around to give him one of her infamous glares. He sighed. Her loyalty to Haley was showing through.

--

"Haley, you know you are more than welcome to stay at our place," Brooke offered for what seemed like the thirtieth time since they had gotten in the car. Haley had told everyone she planned on staying in a hotel as soon as they got out of the airport. She assured them it wasn't because she didn't want to be around them but because she didn't want to be a burden. "You won't be a burden, I promise."

She smiled. "It's fine. You guys don't need me lounging around your house when you just moved in together a few months ago. The hotel is fine."

Nathan, who had been unusually quiet in the passenger seat, finally spoke up. "Leave her alone, Brooke and let her stay at the hotel. As long as it's not the Covington we'll be just fine." He leaned back and smirked.

Haley nearly choked on her own saliva. "What did you say?"

"The Covington," he said slowly, turning around to face her. "You're not staying there, right? Because I've had reservations for -" He stopped when he saw the look on her face. "Shit," he swore, turning back around.

Haley's jaw dropped and Lucas had to stifle a laugh. It was just their luck to be stuck on the same flight and then in the same hotel after not seeing each other for six years.

He felt for Haley though. She was sitting there putting on her bravest face but he could tell that the way Nathan was treating her was hurting her. He knew she wanted a little bit of respect but he also knew that she wouldn't be getting it from his brother. Nathan was a stubborn, stubborn man and he would never admit he was wrong or apologize for things.

"I can stay at another hotel," she offered immediately. She could tell Nathan was already extremely pissed about how things had gone already and the last thing she wanted to do was piss him off even more.

He sighed. "No, it's fine. Chances are we won't even be close to each other."

"Yeah," Brooke jumped in. "It's a big hotel and you guys probably won't even be in the same hallway."

--

"Excuse me?" Nathan pounded his fist on the front desk at the Covington. "What do you mean you don't have my reservations? They've been arranged for a month now and I confirmed them last week."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Scott. Our system crashed a few days ago and unfortunately some of the reservations were lost. However, we're willing to refund you your entire deposit and give you another room."

"I don't want another room!" he argued. "I want the room I had planned to stay in for a month."

The clerk sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's not available anymore."

"Can I ask who's staying there?"

"I can't give away that information, sir."

"Look, sir," Nathan bit out. "I've just gotten off the flight from hell and I've been receiving death stares from my brother's girlfriend the entire car ride here. I'm tired and I have to spend days in this town with old memories coming up that quite frankly need to stay in the past where they belong. I'm stressed beyond belief right now, and I just want to know who stole the damn room out from under my nose because of your shitty computer system!"

"Nathan." Lucas stepped forward. "Relax. They're going to get you another room. You don't need the exact one you were planning on staying in."

"Lucas, that is the only room I stay in when I come here because I refuse to stay at a house with anyone. I never go to other rooms and that's the room I want. I'm determined to get it too."

Lucas held his hands up in surrender. "Whatever."

"God, Nathan," Brooke snapped. "Quit your pouting and just take the room they give you."

He ignored Brooke and looked back at the clerk, throwing a fifty dollar bill his way. "You want to tell me now?"

"I could lose my job for this," the man objected.

"No one's going to tell on you, Robert," Nathan said, reading the man's nametag. "Just tell me who's staying there and no one will have to know except for these three behind me." He motioned with his thumb to them. "They won't say anything either. Haley, that one with the blonde hair…let's just say she's real good at keeping secrets."

"Nathan!" Brooke cried out in disgust. "Bite your tongue and leave her alone! She's sitting here trying to be all classy about this and you're being a complete ass. She hasn't said one bad word to you today so just leave her the hell alone!"

Robert's eyes widened at how crazy all of them seemed to him. He had seen some weird groups in his time working there, but never a group like this. He sighed again and pulled up the reservations of whoever had taken Nathan Scott's room. "It looks like a…Haley James has the room."

"Are you kidding me?" Nathan scoffed, throwing his hands in the air. "This is just great! Just perfect!"

Haley stepped forward then. She hadn't said anything at all since they had gotten to the hotel. Nathan was ranting and raving enough for all of them. She was taking everything he was dishing out and she was just tired of it. He had told her that they couldn't be together anymore so she didn't understand why he couldn't show her some respect like she was showing him. "I'm Haley James," she told the man behind the desk. "If Nathan wants the room, he can have it and I'll just go somewhere else."

"Oh no!" Nathan shook his head. "There is no way I am accepting anything from her." He pointed at Haley, unable to even address her to her face.

"Hey asshole." Brooke waved at him. "Suck it up and take the room if she's offering it to you."

"We can bring up a cot," Robert interrupted. "That way Nathan gets the room but he's not taking anything away from Haley over here."

Lucas shook his head immediately. There was no way that would work. He knew that Haley was taking shit from Nathan now, but he had a feeling that wouldn't last the entire time the two of them were in Tree Hill. She was bound to fire back at him sometime, and when she did, it wouldn't be pretty. The two of them would kill each other if they were in the same room.

"They can't do that," he argued. "As you can see, they really don't get along and sharing a room would be -"

"Perfect," Brooke broke in.

"What?!" the three of them exclaimed at the same time, all eyes on Brooke.

"I just think that you two need to get all of this crap off your chest that has been eating at you for the past six years. Just try it for now and if it doesn't work, you can get your own room, Nathan. But this way, Nathan has the room and he's not taking anything from Haley and Haley can kill Nathan in his sleep because let's face it…we all want her to."

"Fine," Haley relented, holding her hands up. "I'm tired of talking about it. I'm taking my room. Nathan, you can do what you want." She grabbed the key from Robert and grabbed her bags. "I'm going to go on up and take a nap or something. Brooke, Luke, call me about dinner and I'll be there. Thanks for picking me up. Nathan, if you're planning on coming up, whatever, that's fine." She hugged Lucas and Brooke one more time and got on the elevator.

"Don't do it, Nathan," Lucas told him once the doors were closed. "I know Haley's being quiet now but I have a feeling you're going to get it if she has to listen to much more of you today."

"I think you should do it," Brooke said, ignoring Lucas. "I know it's going to be shitty but obviously you have a lot to say to Haley and once you do, you'll feel better. She probably has a lot to say to you too and both of you will feel better once you get all of this stuff off your chests. If it gets to be that bad, stay in your own room tomorrow night, but just try this, Nathan."

He frowned, unsure of what to do. He really didn't want to stay with Haley. He knew he had been really mean today to her, but he couldn't help it. He had a feeling that if he did stay with her, he would just be even meaner, but then on the other hand, he wanted to stay with her. He wanted to know about her life and what she had been doing since that horrible night six years ago. Plus, he knew he had some insults he could still throw her way. He smirked to himself, then looked at Robert. "I'll take the room with Miss James."


	3. Chapter 3

When she heard a knock on the door to her room, Haley turned off the TV and got up off the bed. She was so tired all of the sudden, but she didn't think it was jet lag. It was because she was listening to Nathan argue with everyone and be a jackass to her. It was getting quite old.

She pulled open the door and her jaw dropped when she saw Nathan standing there. "Hey," he greeted. "I thought about it and I know you probably have things to say to me, and I have things to say to you, so I'm going to stick it out with you for one night."

"Oh, don't sound so enthused." She rolled her eyes and pulled the door open more for him to come in. She wondered why he had chosen to stay with her when he was so obviously full of anger for her. Maybe he was going to try and be the bigger person. Maybe he would apologize to her later or something. 'Maybe' being the operative word.

He set his bag next to hers and shut the door behind him. "I'm trying here, Haley," he said quietly.

"Well, I guess that's all I can ask for," she replied, lying back down on the bed. "Are they going to bring up a cot?"

"Yeah," he answered. "That idiot Robert said he'd have someone send one up in a few minutes."

"Don't call him an idiot, Nathan," she muttered, kicking off her stilettos. Her feet were killing her. Damn fashion statements she always had to make.

"He is!" he argued, hands on his hips. "The guy loses my reservations - "

"That wasn't even his fault!" she interrupted. "Do you think he made the computer crash? I certainly don't!"

"Whatever," he mumbled, dropping down into the chair near him. "He's obviously in charge."

"But he isn't the computer," she pointed out.

She was getting so completely frustrated with him. He just wanted to argue for the heck of it because it was Haley. If it had been with anyone else, she knew he would have just dropped it and accepted the fact that the system had messed up his reservation. Of course though, because of what had happened six years ago, he was going to be an ass about every little thing.

"Just don't talk about it, Haley," he ordered. "I'm tired and I've had enough of arguing with you for the rest of my life."

"Funny you say that...because if I remember correctly, back in high school, you were done arguing with me when I left...but here you are, still arguing. Your word really doesn't mean much, does it, Nathan?"

"Neither does yours," he fired back. "I remember something about you loving me and promising to spend the rest of your life with me. Yeah, that didn't mean much either."

She ignored him and looked out the window. She could see the shops she used to go to with her mom when she was a little girl. The storefronts were so close together and it reminded her of little towns that you would see on television shows. Tree Hill was a pretty little town, despite the memories, and she would never deny that.

She wondered at that moment what Jared was doing. She hadn't thought of him all day up until then. She'd been too busy getting pissed at Nathan and doing her best to be the better one out of both of them. He had already proved that he wasn't man enough to deal with her in a mature way so she was going to be the mature one. That had been her role the day she met him, and it would be her role years later, but that didn't surprise her.

She looked back at Nathan who had pulled out his cell phone so she decided to do the same. Hopping off the bed, she grabbed her purse and discreetly moved the velvet box to the bottom as she grabbed her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she came upon his name and hit the send button. The phone rang four times before going through to voice mail. "Hey, Jared, it's Haley. I just wanted to let you know that I'm in Tree Hill. The flight was fine and I'm in my hotel room now until dinner tonight with everyone. Call me when you're not busy, okay? I love you."

She shut her phone and looked up to find Nathan staring at her. "You love him? Hmm. That's probably a lie."

"Knock it off, Nathan," she gritted out. "You were the one who said we didn't have a future anymore the night I came back so quit acting like you're such a victim. You're just as much at fault for any of this as I am."

"No, Haley, I really don't think I am," he fired back. "You decided to leave for some stupid music tour, and Chris Keller. You're the one at fault here."

"But you won't let it go!" she screamed at him. "You refuse to let it go and be a man about it. You're still the same selfish, immature seventeen year old boy you've always been!"

"Yeah," he scoffed. "And you're the same bitch who's not happy with anything in your life. Nothing was ever good enough for you and it's still not."

"I'm happy, Nathan," she swore to him. "I'm happy with Jared. And I love him a hell of a lot more than I ever loved you."

His jaw dropped at that statement. He couldn't believe she had the nerve to actually tell him that. "See Haley? Bitch." He glared at her a moment before getting up and storming out of the room.

She closed her eyes when he was gone and brought her hand up to her mouth. She could not believe she had just said that to him. She didn't even know if it was true. She was just trying to hurt him the way he had been hurting her all day. If she was honest with herself, she had always loved Nathan more. Nathan, to her, was kind of the one that got away. But even so, she wasn't going to go after him again. She wasn't going to go there. They had hurt each other too much over the years. Too much had happened and she knew there was no possible future with Nathan.

She felt bad for saying what she did. She usually wasn't one to hurt people with words. That was more Nathan's department. But something inside her had just snapped. She'd been feeling a slight...pull all day towards saying something because he had been going on and on about how awful she was. When he called her an unhappy bitch, she just let loose. She couldn't help it.

--

Nathan chucked the ball at the backboard and watched as it bounced back at him. He wasn't even trying to make it in the hoop. He just wanted to throw something and the ball against the backboard was the best he could do for the time being.

"You know, for an LA Laker, you sure do suck."

He turned around to find Jake Jagielski along with Lucas walking up the court. "Bite me," he muttered, walking over to give Jake a quick hug. "It's been a long time, man."

"Yeah, it has," Jake agreed. "How've you been?"

"I've been...better. Tree Hill isn't my favorite place to be, you know." Jake and Lucas both nodded. "But I wouldn't miss being in your wedding for the world, Jake. Congratulations."

"Thanks a lot, Nathan. I appreciate you flying out here knowing you're going to be dealing with some...awkwardness from the girls."

"I can't change the past." Nathan shrugged. "I know Brooke is pissed at me for the way things went down when I saw Haley last, and I know Peyton thinks we could have worked it out as well, so yeah, it's going to be awkward. But there's nothing I can do."

"Peyton's going to be pretty tied up with her own thing," Lucas pointed out. "You probably won't have to deal with much from her. Mainly Brooke because we all know that Haley won't say much to you. She's trying to be mature about this whole thing."

"I know," Nathan agreed. He could tell she was trying to be mature ever since the plane ride. He kind of admired her for it. He wished he could hold his tongue the way she could. But he had never been able to, and he wasn't going to bother trying now.

"Speaking of, Luke told me you agreed to stay in the same room with Haley for the night. I'm guessing it didn't go so well because you haven't been in town for even two hours yet."

Nathan looked at his brother and then back at their friend. "She told me that she loved Jared a hell of a lot more than she ever loved me. It pissed me off so I called her a bitch and I left."

"Damn." Lucas let out a low whistle and went to retrieve the basketball that Nathan had been firing at the backboard a few minutes earlier. He took a quick shot, smiling at the 'swoosh' sound it made. "She really said that?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's not like I didn't deserve it. I know I did with the way I've been acting all day, but it sucks to hear it."

"I'm sure calling her a bitch didn't help the matter," Jake added, shooting the ball after Lucas passed it to him. "She tried with you six years ago, Nate, and you let her go. She isn't a bitch for doing something you told her to do."

"What do you even know about it, Jagielski?" he mumbled. "You were barely around back then."

"Probably because I was taking care of my daughter," he replied, completely unbothered by Nathan's bad attitude. Nathan had that same attitude ever since they were teenagers and it was never going to change. He would always be the same cocky person blaming everyone else for his own problems.

"Guys, just don't argue about it." Lucas sighed. "I've had all the arguing I can take for the day. I've got a headache and it's bigger than the one I get when Brooke drags me on her twelve hour shopping sprees."

"Luke's right." Jake held out his hand to Nathan. "I'm sorry. I just want to see everyone in my wedding get along this week. It's not my business, and I really don't know much about it...only from what everyone's told me. Sorry, Nate."

"It's fine. I'm sorry I'm taking my shit out on everyone else," he apologized. "It's just...I knew Haley would be here this week. She's one of Peyton's best friends. I know they talk all the time and I know Peyton's flown out to see her. I was prepared to see her in Tree Hill. I wasn't prepared to see her on the same flight as me."

"It's understandable, Nate," Lucas told him, balancing the ball on his hip. "But that doesn't mean you need to treat her like shit. This isn't all her fault and in no way am I saying it's all yours, but you told her that you guys didn't have a future. You need to quit holding that against her."

"It's not that easy, Lucas." He sighed and walked over to the picnic table, taking a seat. "That was the worst time of my life. It's not that easy to forget and let go of."

"I remember it," Jake said, sitting down beside him. "It was right before Nikki took Jenny and I left town again. You were a mess, Nathan, but look at you now. You got over it and you're a huge basketball star now. You don't need to look back on the past with Haley. It's done and over with."

"Nathan," Lucas acknowledged his brother, "I know it's tough. I know it tore you apart back then, but you worked through it. Don't let seeing her put you in a dark place again." He patted his brother on the back. "She'll always be one of my best friends, but you're my brother, so if you need anything, let me know, alright? If you feel like you need to take some anger out because of her, than use me. Don't do it to her. You've both hurt each other way too much to keep on doing it."

Nathan gave his brother a slight smile and looked out at the river. Haley leaving was the worst thing he had ever gone through and he didn't think he could ever get over it. He was taking his anger out on Haley because he was still angry that he had been left behind. He hated that she had done that to him. She was the only girl he had ever loved and when she left, it nearly killed him. And he was still nowhere close to being over it.

--

Haley smoothed down her pale pink dress and looked at herself in the mirror one more time. After fixing her lip gloss, she smiled, satisfied with her appearance. She walked back into the bedroom to find Nathan sitting on the bed. His eyes met hers and she could tell he was troubled. After all those years of not seeing him, she still knew when he was upset and that scared her.

Nathan looked Haley up and down. He couldn't believe she was a blonde now. He never would have pictured her as someone to change her appearance, but then again, she was a star now. She needed to look the part.

"Going to dinner with everyone?" she questioned, putting in her earrings.

"Planned on it," he replied, standing up. "You done in the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Haley sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting down. "Look, Nathan, I know you have to get ready right now but...I'm sorry for what I said. I just wanted you to know. It was completely uncalled for and I had no right to say it."

"Thanks, Haley." He gave her his famous crooked smile and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

Haley frowned. She had apologized to him and he had nothing else to say but thanks? How about sorry for being an ass all day or sorry for telling you we had no future back then? She had said one little thing to hurt him when he had been doing it all day. It was completely unfair. She wanted to take back that apology. He didn't even deserve it.

She went downstairs into the lobby and found Brooke and Peyton standing there. "Haley James!" Peyton opened her arms wide and Haley flew into them, hugging her friend tight. "Oh! I missed you, girl!"

"I missed you too! I love our text messages and phone calls but nothing compares to being here again!" She smiled and kept an arm around Peyton, pulling Brooke into her other arm for a group hug. "I missed both of you."

"We missed you too, Tutor Girl. You know, you could always drag your big fat Grammy down here and buy a house."

She smiled. "Maybe someday. But now I'm just too busy with work and Jared's in California."

"Yeah, Haley, about that." Peyton put her pointer finger to her chin. "I forgot to tell you last time we saw each other and I met him...he is a total fox!"

She laughed. "Thanks so much, but I do believe you have a wedding to worry about. Not how hot my boyfriend is."

"I know!" Peyton smiled widely and collapsed onto the couch behind her. "I'm so excited you guys. I've been waiting to marry him for forever, it seems like. I thought we'd never get here with all the drama we went through."

Haley and Brooke each took a seat on either side of Peyton. "But you did, P. Sawyer. You guys made it out stronger than ever and now you're getting married!" Brooke reminded her happily, patting her on the thigh.

"Haley," Peyton began, "I heard you and Nathan were staying in the same room for the night and trying to work things out. How's that going for ya?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nathan's an ass. You know I apologized for getting out of line today with him even though I barely did anything wrong. I said one thing to him and he's been taking cheap shots at me all day. You know what he said? He said thanks and walked into the bathroom."

Peyton chuckled. "That's our Nathan."

"Oh no." Haley held up her hands. "He is not our Nathan. He is your Nathan. After your wedding, I won't be associated with him anymore. I'm sorry it has to be like this but I don't know what else I can do."

"Haley, this isn't your fault," Brooke said. "You tried with Nathan and he was the one who told you no more. Don't worry about how things are. This is all on Nathan right now."

"Thanks, Brooke." Nathan sauntered in. "It means a lot that my brother's girlfriend supports my ex-wife so much." He rolled his eyes and went to stand in front of Peyton, pulling her to her feet. "Good to see you. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Nate," she answered, hugging him. "Now can we all just get along tonight please? My wedding is this week and I really want it to go alright. So no more name calling, no more pouting, no more arguing. For me and Jake and Jenny?"

Haley nodded. She owed her friend that much. "No more."

"Yeah," Nathan echoed. "No more."


	4. Chapter 4

Haley looked around the table and smiled when she took in the faces of her friends. Everyone was so grown up now. More so than the last time they had been together like that which was back in high school. Everyone had their own lives now. Nothing was still centered around cheerleading and basketball schedules...well, except for Nathan's life.

Peyton and Jake were a real family now. Peyton was like a mother to Jake's young daughter, Jenny, and although she taught art classes at the local high school, she knew that her biggest job was being there for Jake and Jenny. Lucas was a teacher as well. He taught senior literature and Haley knew he loved it. He had loved books ever since he had started loving basketball, and that was a long time ago. He and Brooke were living together now, and Haley was sure that with time, the two of them would get married and start a family. Brooke had her own clothing store in Tree Hill, but her fashion line was sold in New York and LA as well. Haley knew Luke would never admit it, but Brooke made tons more money than he did.

And then there was Nathan. She didn't consider him her friend and she couldn't even consider him her ex-husband because they had gotten an annulment. His life was all parties and basketball and women. She had read the tabloids and seen the entertainment shows. She knew what Nathan's life was like now, and she was glad to have no part in it.

Brooke stood up and began tapping on her glass. "As the maid of honor, I would like to propose a toast to our favorite couple over here." She motioned to Jake and Peyton. "Well, besides Luke and me."

"Baby, just get on with your toast," Lucas urged quietly, causing everyone at the table to laugh. Sometimes she was a little more outspoken than Lucas would have liked, but he loved her so he was okay with that.

"Sorry. As I was saying, I think I should be giving them a toast. Peyton, Jake, we have all known you since you were little kids. Peyton, you have been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We used to ride our bikes and make fun of the losers on the River Court...like Lucas," she added, teasing her boyfriend. "We used to get help from Haley in class because neither of us were good in school. And we used to check out Nathan and Jake when they were playing ball. Now here you are, getting married. And I just want you guys to know that I love you both so much and if you need anything at all when you're married, I'll do my best to get it for you. Congratulations you two. This has been a long time coming and I'm so glad to be a part of it!"

"To Jake and Peyton!" the gang said in unison, raising their glasses and toasting them happily.

Nathan smiled before locking eyes with Haley. The smile fell from his lips and he got to thinking about when they had gotten married. Lucas had been the one to give a toast for them at their reception and he could distinctly remember Haley crying because it had been such a good speech. His brother had a way with words. He always had and that was good because he knew that Lucas was trying to write a novel. Nathan was the only one that knew and he promised he wouldn't tell anyone. He had stumbled upon it one day by accident and was sworn to secrecy. Not even Brooke knew.

Haley took a sip of her wine as she saw Nathan looking at her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was thinking of the same thing she was. They were both remembering the speech that Lucas had made for them so many years ago. She also remembered her dad giving a speech about how so many things could happen at certain points in a life...like drinking at twenty-one and being able to enlist at eighteen. He then went on to point out that even if one was sixteen, it didn't mean they were too young to get married. He asked the question of how old do you have to be before your love is real, and Haley never forgot it.

"Haley." Lucas's voice broke through her thoughts. "Where'd you go?"

"Sorry." She shook her head and looked at him. "What?"

He chuckled. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh." Her face felt flushed. "Nothing," she said after a minute, looking at Nathan. "Nothing at all."

"Okay," he said slowly, following her gaze. He shook his head when he realized he had no idea what was going on and looked back at her. "I was telling Brooke earlier that I wanted to take you mini golfing like old times later. You up for it?"

"Mini golfing?" A smile spread across her face. "Hell yes! I haven't been since high school!"

"Then I'd say it's high time you go, Tutor Girl," Brooke jumped in, sipping her wine. "Lucas has been talking about it for weeks now ever since he found out you were coming for the wedding. I don't think he can wait another night."

"Well alright! I am more than willing to go tonight unless everybody thought we were going to do something else?" She looked around the table. Peyton and Jake were caught up in their own conversation, Brooke and Lucas were looking around like she was, and Nathan was sitting there nursing his third scotch of the night.

"Uh, Tutor Girl? I don't think anyone had other plans."

"Okay then." She looked at Lucas. God, she had missed him. "Looks like I'll be kicking your ass later."

He laughed in her face. "In your dreams, Hales."

"Oh my God." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Will you two ever grow up?" she asked in a joking manner. "You're like eight year olds!"

"But cool eight year olds!" Lucas objected, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes, honey." Brooke nodded. "The coolest eight year olds I'll ever meet."

--

Lucas turned to Haley that night as they were leaving the golf course in his truck. "So, remind me again who won tonight."

"Shut up, Luke," she grumbled, throwing a glare his way. "I haven't played in six and a half years, alright? Go easy on me."

"I would, except for the fact that you were just telling me at dinner how you were going to kick my ass."

"I will if you keep bringing it up," she threatened, a devilish grin working its way to her face.

He held his hands up. "No more." He looked over and smiled at his friend. It was so good to be hanging out with her again. It was like she had never left and like all the time they hadn't seen each other didn't exist. He felt that comfortable with Haley. "So, um...can I ask you something?"

She looked up from her cell phone and at him. "You can ask me anything, Luke. You know that."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "What do you think of me proposing to Brooke?"

"WHAT?!" she shouted, dropping her phone. "Are you serious?!"

"Relax, Hales." He laughed. "It's just...I've been thinking about this for a long time now. She's the one for me. She makes me laugh all the time and she understands anything I tell her. She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, and you know, we're already living together so we might as well make it official, right?"

"Yes!" She clapped her hands together excitedly. Her best friend was going to propose to her other best friend. She knew Brooke would be thrilled beyond belief and that their wedding would be the most extravagant she would ever attend. "You know that once you do this, it's going to be months of planning and money spending. Nothing less than the best for Brooke Davis, you know."

He chuckled. "Yeah, but this has been a long time coming, Haley. I think I'm ready for all of it as long as it means I get to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Aw, Lukey." She reached over and pinched his cheek affectionately. "When did you get to be so sweet and romantic?"

"Since I started dating Brooke," he replied. "You know how she is when it comes to that stuff. She loves it all."

"I know. So...do you think she's going to take your last name or keep her own?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'd love for her to take my last name. Or at least be Brooke Davis Scott. Kind of like you did with James Scott," he blurted out without even thinking. His eyes widened when he realized what he had said. "Oh, God, Hales, I'm sorry. I know you don't like to be reminded of that stuff."

Of course she didn't like to be reminded of it. It was a time of her life when she had made a horrible mistake - the mistake of leaving her husband behind. And by the time she realized she had messed up, it was too late. She didn't like to think about it.

She shook her head. "It's fine. It was a time in my life that I can't erase and it's not like I think about it all the time anyway. It hasn't been on my mind in a long time until I came back to Tree Hill. And this is where everything started and ended so of course it's going to get brought up now that I'm back."

"Yeah, at least when you go back to California, it will be pushed to the back of your mind again," he pointed out as they came to a stop at the light Peyton used to run in high school.

"Exactly," she responded. She smiled when she looked out the window and saw Karen's Café. "Your mom's still got that place going, huh?"

He looked over to where her eyes were. "Yeah. Her and Deb. It's really blossoming. They opened another one in Charlotte like a year ago."

"Seriously?" She shook her head. "Man, I've been gone too long."

"Damn right," he told her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "It's been way too long. You know, Haley, when Brooke starts planning this wedding, you're going to need to be around a lot more. She's going to want your input so I'm thinking that you need to rent a house here or something."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "I'll have to check with Jared...see what he thinks."

"Jared, huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Things with you two are pretty serious now, I take it. How long have you been together again?"

"A year and a half," she answered. "Yeah, it's serious."

Lucas looked her in the eyes. She was hiding something from him. He could tell by the way her eyes kind of avoided his. "You're marrying him, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened. "What? Why would you say that?"

"You forget how well I know you." He smiled in her direction. "I can tell that you're hiding something by the way you're not really looking at me."

She should have known Lucas would have figured it out. Not just Lucas for that matter, but anyone. She wasn't that great at keeping secrets. She never had been and she was surprised that no one had figured it out until now. "He proposed at Starbucks," she admitted. "I've been hiding the ring because I don't want to take away from Peyton's week, you know? I just...I don't want anyone to know yet."

"Okay," he conceded. "But I need to say something and I don't want you to get mad at me for saying this."

She sighed, knowing it probably had to do with Nathan. Actually, it was more than probably. She knew it had to do with Nathan. "You're going to say something about your brother, Lucas."

"So what if I am?" he shot back. "Haley, you just sit there and take his crap and then you just agree to let him share a room with you for a night. You're not telling anyone you're engaged and I saw the way you two looked at each other at dinner. You seriously can't say that you're hiding your engagement just because Peyton and Jake are getting married."

"What do you even know about it, Lucas? You haven't seen me in months and now you're trying to tell me that I'm not telling people I'm engaged because I'm still in love with Nathan?" She frowned. "You're completely wrong."

"I never said you were still in love with Nathan!" he defended. He pulled into a parking place at the Covington. "All I'm saying is maybe you still have some feelings for him that you're refusing to acknowledge right now. Maybe your reason for hiding your engagement is different than you think it is."

"I didn't know you were a psychologist now," she muttered. "Talk to me when you get that degree...not your teaching one."

"Don't be mad at me. All I'm saying is you need to look in your heart, Haley. See what it's telling you."

"I'm going upstairs now, Luke. Thanks for tonight." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I've missed this."

"Yeah me too. Good night, Hales." He waited until she was halfway to the door before rolling down his window and yelling out to her. "Think about what I said!"

She ignored him and walked into the hotel, smiling at the concierge as she walked through. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes though. She was completely pissed at Lucas for even suggesting such a thing. She wasn't sharing her engagement because she didn't want to take away from Peyton. That was all. It was as simple as that, she convinced herself. It was Peyton's week and no one else needed to know she was engaged. No one.

She frowned as she slid the key into the lock on the room she was currently sharing with Nathan. Lucas better not tell anyone. She would seriously castrate him if he did. She knew he usually kept her secrets but then again she hadn't told him any for a long time now. There would be a big fight if her secret got out. She had a feeling.

She jumped when she saw Nathan sitting on the bed...her bed, no less, talking on his cell phone. She hadn't expected him to be there when she got back. She figured he would have checked out or into another room or he would at least be down at the bar.

He looked at her when she entered. She was still wearing the dress she had gone to dinner in. He couldn't believe she had gone golfing in that. But then again, Haley was never one to really care what she was wearing. He was on the phone with Alyssa and she was apologizing for missing the wedding. "Look, Lyss, I promise you I'm not mad and it's not a big deal. It's only a few more days."

"Did they give you the room you always get?"

He sighed. "Oh yeah, I got it," he replied. "A few surprises were in it when I got here too."

"Oh yeah?" she asked. "Like what?"

Oh, just his former wife. "Some of those little mint things on the pillows, a bottle of wine, and a basket of fruit," he lied to her.

"Really? Hmm. I wonder who sent those. I hope it wasn't a girl or anything," she teased. "If you had a secret admirer, I'd probably kick her ass."

A cross between a chuckle and a sigh left his lips. "No girls," he answered. "Hey, I'm gonna let you go," he said when he saw that Haley looked a little pissed that he was on the phone. "Good luck at work tomorrow."

"Thanks, Nate. Night."

"Night, babe." He hung up and looked at Haley. "Why do you look so pissed off?"

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Well, first of all, I am greeted on my flight from California by you, and you are a complete dickhead by the way. You could show me a little courtesy after six years, Nathan."

"Haley - "

"No." She held up her finger. "There's that and then you throw a complete fit about this room saying you won't accept anything from me. Then you decide to take the room and after that, you get all in my business with Jared, I insult you once compared to the forty-seven times you insulted me today, and you call me a bitch. You sat there and pouted at dinner and drank God knows how much and I come back and here you are." She ticked the reasons off on her fingers as she went. "So yeah, Nathan, I'm a little pissed off."

"You want me to find another room, Haley?" He stood up. "Because I will."

She sighed. "Nathan, if you were just going to find a new room then why did you need to come up here in the first place?"

He sat back down on the bed and surprisingly, she sat beside him. "I know I was a dickhead all day, Haley, and the truth is, that's probably not going to stop for a while. I can't help it. It's who I am and you know that. But I was kind of hoping maybe we could catch up. That's why I agreed to stay in here for a night."

She was shocked at his honesty. She hadn't expected him to tell her anything. She had just figured he would leave the room after she told him why she was mad, but he hadn't. Maybe he wasn't as immature as he was the last time she had spoken to him. "You had six years," she reminded him. "Six years if you wanted to catch up. Why now?"

He knew she was right. She usually was when it came to their arguments, but he would never admit that to her. He was still not going to lose his pride to Haley James. He hadn't six years ago, and he wasn't about to now. In those six years, there were plenty of times he wanted to catch up with her; he wouldn't deny that. He thought about her for months after he had sent her away, but he wasn't going to just call her up like old friends. There was too much history there for that.

When Brooke had said they needed to talk things over, he knew she was right. There were plenty of things they needed to say to each other, and he was interested in her life, whether she liked it or not. There were times when he would see her being interviewed on TV and he would stop and watch it. He especially thought they needed to get to know each other better now considering there would probably be another wedding coming up. He knew Lucas was thinking about proposing to his longtime girlfriend. He could tell every time he spoke to him.

"I just think we'll be in each others' lives more now," he admitted to her, watching her take off her jewelry and set it down beside her. "Peyton and Jake are getting married. Soon, they'll probably have more kids, and I know that Lucas and Brooke will probably be getting married sooner or later. We'll see each other again, Haley, and we'll be in another wedding party together. We need to catch up and be civil."

"Yeah," she scoffed. "You couldn't tell me that without biting my head off all day and taking cheap shots at me?"

"You know what? You're right." He stood up angrily, knocking her jewelry to the floor.

"Nathan! Damn it!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I'm never doing what you want me to do, Haley! Sorry I'm such a disappointment that you can't even talk to me when I admit that I want to talk to you! Just...sorry!" He slammed the door to the bathroom and a second later, she heard the lock click.

She chalked his anger up to drinking. He had done a lot of that tonight, and if she was guessing correctly, it was because of her. He was mad for a lot of reasons at her and she knew it. So he was probably drinking over her and how much he hated her.

Sighing, she walked over to the bathroom door and knocked gently. "Nathan?" she called out softly. "Hey, I'm sorry for being like that. You can - "

He interrupted her speech by opening the door. "All of this is so hard," he told her as soon as he saw her face again. "I came here knowing you would be here, and I was going to try to keep my anger in check...but when I saw you on that plane, I just...snapped."

"Well." She moved so he could walk out of the bathroom. "Everything that happened was a long time ago, Nathan. We can try and put it behind us and start over, right?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You're right."

"Alright, so..." She walked a little closer to him and she could smell his cologne. It was the same as it had been six years ago, she remembered. "We can try and be friends."

He nodded, unable to speak. She was so close to him and he could smell the vanilla from her perfume. It smelled good and it filled his senses so much that he could barely breathe. "Friends," he repeated after a moment.

"No more insults, okay?" She smiled genuinely at him. "Exactly what Peyton asked for earlier...we'll do it for her and Jake and Jenny, and then whenever Lucas and Brooke decide to tie the knot, we'll do it for them too."

"Okay." He smiled back at her. "Okay."


	5. Chapter 5

**Let me just apologize for my lack in updating this story. My internet has been down for several weeks, and unfortunately, it's still down. I have had this chapter written for a while, but I don't have the internet to post it. lol. So here you go for now...hopefully this tides you over until I can get back to another computer. Thanks for all the replies. You are all awesome! :)**

**-Lindsay**

**PS - I didn't really check this for errors. I was trying to get it up for all of you, so I am sorry if you find some!**

* * *

"Okay, Haley." Peyton put her hands on her hips. "We have two days to pick the dress you want and Brooke said she would alter it as soon as you bought it. The colors are black and silver. Brooke is wearing black and Jenny has on silver, so whether you wear black or silver, it's up to you."

She looked at Peyton from her place by a dress rack. "You don't already have a dress picked out? Isn't that how most weddings go? Brides pick the exact same dresses for their bridesmaids?"

"Well, yeah," she admitted. "But this is my wedding, and it's going to go exactly how I want it to go. I want my two best friends comfortable and in something that they like - not some frilly, poofy dress that most weddings consist of."

"Your wedding will probably be the best one I've attended then, Peyton." She smiled at her friend. "Let's get dress shopping."

"Okay. Brooke is going to be here in a little while. She was finishing up some meeting and then she promised she would come straight here."

"Ah, to live the life of a fashion designer," Haley mused, pulling a black dress off the rack. She studied it for a minute and decided to put it back. It was a little too…puffy for her taste.

"So…" Peyton pulled a silver dress off the rack and realized it was too risqué for Haley's taste and put it back. "How goes it with Nate?"

She sighed and looked at her friend. "Well, after calling me a bitch and leaving yesterday, I figured he wouldn't stay in the room, you know?"

Peyton nodded. "I sure as hell wouldn't. No offense, Haley, but we all know your temper. Nathan especially should. It doesn't show very often, but when it does…look out."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Thanks a lot. Anyway, I get back from golfing last night and he was on the phone with Amanda or Alexis or whatever the hell her name -"

"Alyssa," she corrected, unable to stop the smile from forming across her face.

"Shut up," she mumbled when she saw Peyton's smile. "So we kind of fought a little bit more last night, and then we decided to be friends because we all know that in a few months, Lucas and Brooke will probably get married too, and we'll both be in their wedding party too. There's no way around that."

"Smart decision." Peyton passed a black, strapless dress to Haley. "But let me tell you something, Hales. You and Nathan? You have way too much history to ever be just friends," she told her, using air quotes around the word 'friends.'

She frowned at her friend and went to the dressing room to try it on. It was a beautiful dress. It was pure black with silver trim at the top and bottom. It started off as a straight dress, but the bottom flowed out. She smiled at her appearance in the mirror, thinking that it was a good choice. She decided to try a few more before making her final decision though.

As she changed, Peyton's words came back to her. Was it really true? Would she and Nathan never be able to be friends? After talking with him the night before, she was sure that they could at least try to be friends. It didn't seem that hard. She had spent an hour afterwards telling him about her career and he had seemed genuinely interested. She was assuming that they were getting to be friends until Peyton had told her that there was no possible way for that to happen. Life was so confusing. Wait. Scratch that. NATHAN was so confusing.

When she came out, Brooke was there telling Peyton all about her meeting. She waited until she was done to tell her hi. "Tutor Girl!" Brooke threw her arms around her even though they had seen each other the day before. "I'm sure you're going to get sick of my hugs! Oh well! I'm just so glad that you're here!"

"I'm glad I'm here too, Brooke," she replied, smiling widely at her friends. It was so good to be around them again. It really was. "Actually, you can help me figure out a good dress. I just tried this one on." She motioned to her dress. "I liked it but I wanted to look around a little bit more before I found the right one."

"Well, let me tell you something." Brooke grabbed the dress and put it back on the rack. "If it didn't stand out to you when you tried it on and if you have to look at others before you decide you want it, then it's not worth getting."

Brooke looked her hard in the eye and as she did, Haley caught her double meaning. Picking a man was just like picking a dress to Brooke. If she had to take the time and make sure that the guy was the right one for her, then the truth was, he really wasn't. When Haley had married Nathan, she hadn't thought twice about it, but when she had agreed to marry Jared, she had been wondering ever since. She felt like she didn't know what she was doing anymore.

"Hey, Haley." Brooke waved a hand in front of her face. "I know that you're thinking of what I wanted you to think of." She smiled at her. "And I just wanted you to know that if you need to talk about it, I'm here…Peyton and I are both here."

She raised an eyebrow. "Have you two been talking about me and my dramatic life behind my back?" She wasn't mad. She was just curious because they both, along with Lucas, seemed to be pushing the fact that she and Nathan were never going to be over on her.

"No!" they answered in unison immediately. It was a little too quickly for her liking as well.

"Right." She chuckled. "Thank you both for caring. Honestly, Nathan and I are just trying to be friends right now and when I get home, it will be like I never saw him again. I can guarantee it. I'll just go right back to Jared who is waiting patiently for my return."

"We know you love him," Peyton told her, picking a dress out for herself to try on. "We're not saying that you don't at all. All we're saying is you and Nathan keep fighting. We're picking up on the sexual tension and we think that you two still have feelings for each other that you're not going to admit."

"Yet," Brooke threw in. "You're not going to admit them yet."

She shook her head. "You guys…"

"Haley, it's fine that you're not going to admit it, alright? It really is. Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but it seems to me like the only people who haven't realized it are you and Nathan. He told you that you couldn't work things out," Peyton reminded her, wincing at the look of pain that crossed Haley's face. "And usually, when people are dumped like that," she said for lack of a better word, "they don't get over it. They might think they are, but in all reality, they're nowhere close."

"Just look in your heart," Brooke advised her. "See what it's telling you."

"You and Luke must really be meant to be," she said. "He told me the exact same thing last night."

"Really? Hmm."

"Well," Peyton said, "it looks like Brooke and I aren't the only ones who think this about you two."

"That stuff still hurts you to think about. I can tell. And if it's still hurting you, then you're not over it, Haley. Just think about it," Brooke said, walking across the store to check out a dress that caught her eye.

Peyton followed, leaving Haley alone with her thoughts. Later on, after she wasn't so busy, she was going to do exactly what everyone was telling her to do. She was going to look into her heart.

--

Haley slid her key in the door and pushed it open, kicking shopping bags into the room with her as she went. She had spent more money than she needed to in that store, after much convincing from Brooke. She really hadn't even liked it that much, but she figured what the hell. She had enough money to buy some new clothes, so she might as well do it. Luckily, she had found a dress for the wedding and sent it home with Brooke so she could alter it.

She smiled to herself when she saw Nathan sprawled out on his cot, sound asleep. He had his headphones in and she couldn't help but remember that he always listened to his music before he took naps back in high school. She didn't find that weird at all. What she found weird was his "naptime music." Instead of the slow stuff that most people would go to sleep to, Nathan went to sleep to rap. At least he did when they were married. She wondered if it was the same so she walked over and took a peek at his iPod. Sure enough, Kanye was playing.

It made her laugh as she folded some of her new purchases and put them in her suitcase. They were too dressy to wear around Tree Hill so she figured she could take them home for interviews and what not. She noticed her ring that she had moved to her suitcase the night before and took it out for a peek.

Lucas's words swirled around her mind from yesterday. He told her that the real reason she wasn't wearing the ring was because she was still feeling something for Nathan. It was crazy, she told herself, feeling something for someone she hadn't seen in six years. She couldn't possibly feel anything for Nathan anymore. Too much time had passed and she had someone new. The feelings for Nathan that Lucas said were there…well, he had to be wrong. She had too much to lose by feeling things for Nathan.

But looking in her heart like everyone had told her to do made her think that maybe she was feeling something for Nathan. It was like an old shirt. You put it away in a drawer and forget about it, but when you take it back out and wear it again, you wonder why you put it away in the first place. There was something so comfy and familiar about it that it was just silly to put it in the drawer.

If Nathan had told her that they had a future again, Haley had a feeling that they would still be together. They would have left California together for Peyton's wedding and the flight would have gone smoothly without any insults. The hotel room they would have shared without any argument, and instead of pouting over his dinner the night before, Nathan probably would have been flirting and joking with her.

But then again, fate might have been against them the whole time they were married before. They could have gotten divorced after he told her he wanted to be with her again. There was no way to tell and that bothered Haley. She was beginning to wonder how her life would have gone if Nathan told her to come home. Hell, she could have even been a mother by now.

Her phone rang and she jumped to grab it, not wanting to wake Nathan. "Hello?" she answered softly, taking the phone in the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Hey."

"Jared." She smiled at the sound of his voice. "It's good to hear your voice."

"Yours too. Is everything okay there?"

"Yeah, it's more than okay. I'm so happy to see everyone again, Jared. Coming back here…well, it's like I never left."

"Good. I'm glad you're having a nice time."

"I am," she replied, leaning against the sink. "I wish you could have come though."

"Me too. It would have been nice to see Lucas and Brooke again. Peyton too, even though she probably would be too busy to say much, getting married and all," he teased. "Which reminds me…we better get planning on our own wedding."

She took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to start planning a wedding when all of these thoughts about what-ifs with Nathan were swirling around in her head. "Absolutely," she lied. "Once work settles down for me and for you. I mean, it's so crazy for you now that you couldn't even come to this wedding with me."

"I'm sorry, Hay," he apologized. "I promise your next friends who have a wedding, I'll come with you."

She laughed. "Okay. It's a deal."

"Well, hey, I'm going to get off of here. I've got a meeting in a few."

"Alright, good luck."

"Thanks, babe. And, hey," he said before hanging up, "don't go finding any old high school beaus to hook up with, okay?" he teased. "Love you."

"Yeah. Love you too." She shut her phone and sat down, putting her head in her hands.

She had never even told Jared about Nathan. She knew that Jared was a big fan of Nathan Scott, and she had never told him that she even went to high school with him or that he was Lucas's brother. She wasn't ever ready to drag up the past with him, and if she were honest with herself, she still wasn't.

The Nathan secret was something that she just wanted to keep from Jared. She wanted to keep it in the past. Of course, she had considered telling him time and time again, but she could just never bring herself to do it. She never liked to think about it herself, let alone talk about it with anyone else. It hadn't ended the way she wanted it to, and that killed her. When he found out about them, he would flip. And he would flip even more if he found out that he had stayed in her room last night. She was treading on thin ice with Jared because of her secrets. She didn't know what to do.

Then he had gone and teased her about not finding old high school boyfriends to hook up with. That had made it ten times worse. When she told Jared, which she knew she would have to before their wedding, it would crush him. The lies would crush him and the guilt she was feeling would crush her then too.

She wiped the tears from her eyes that had fallen after her phone conversation and looked in the mirror. She still looked like herself, but she didn't feel like it at all. Normally she was calm and collected and confident. She never worried about anything except the people in her life, really. Now she was worried about everything.

She opened the door and found Nathan awake and turning off his iPod. "Hi Sleeping Beauty," she teased him. "Have a nice nap?"

"Mm, yeah." He stretched and smiled at her. "Have fun shopping with Brooke and Peyton?"

"Of course," she muttered. "I always love spending hundreds of dollars on clothing that I probably will only wear once because Brooke told me to."

He chuckled and looked at her face closely. Her eyes were a little red and he could see some makeup smeared beneath them. "You been crying?"

"No," she lied immediately, turning around and wiping underneath her eyes again. Damn it. She thought she had gotten it all before she left the bathroom.

"Haley." He got off of the cot and turned her around so he could see her face again. "I'm not an idiot, and I know when you've been crying."

"It's nothing, Nathan," she snapped. "Just leave it alone, please."

"You know, if we're going to try out this whole friends thing, then we actually have to be friends. Tell each other when things are bothering us…see how the other one's day is going…hang out," he rattled off, "tell each other why we may have been crying."

"Nathan, you have been my friend for like the span of a few hours. I don't think that earns you the right to know why I was crying." She folded her arms stubbornly and narrowed her eyes at him. "And I was NOT crying."

"Liar," he mumbled, going to sit back down. He wasn't going to get anywhere with her. She was as stubborn as she always had been, and he could see that that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

He began flipping through the channels on the television with the remote when he suddenly turned it off and turned to face Haley again. She was sitting on the bed fiddling with her phone.

"Haley," he addressed. "What's going on? You can tell me."

She sighed and looked at him. He looked like he was genuinely interested in her problems right then, and it made her feel good. Even though her problems were kind of dealing with him, she felt like she could tell him because of the way he was looking at her. She felt like she could trust him.

"I was crying," she mumbled, shutting her phone.

"Yeah, I got that." He chuckled, going to sit beside her. "Wanna tell me why?"

"I…that was Jared on the phone. He was telling me that we need to start planning this wedding, and - "

"Wait." Nathan could feel his heart drop, and he didn't even know why. He knew Haley had a boyfriend, and he also knew that they had broken up years ago. He didn't know why he was feeling like this now. "You're marrying him?"

Wiping away another tear, she nodded at him. "Yeah. I wasn't going to tell anyone because this is Peyton and Jake's week but Lucas figured it out last night…said he knows when I'm lying to him. And I'm just stressed out and him pressuring me to get this wedding planned doesn't help any."

He nodded. "How long have you been with him?"

"A year and a half," she answered. "I told him I'd marry him, but ever since I did, it's like…I've been wondering if I made the right choice. I just don't know if I need more time."

"Haley, if you're questioning this, I think you need more time," he said softly, not wanting to upset her even more with his advice.

"Nathan, you don't understand. I already told him yes. I can't just undo that and pretend it never happened. I can't go back as much as I'd like to."

He studied her tan face, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He used to be so good at that. He used to know everything that girl was feeling. He knew everything about her, and it was killing him that he didn't now. "What would you go back to?"

"I don't know," she whispered, the tears continuing to cascade down her cheeks. "Most of the time, my life is really good. I'm happy with Jared. It's just…sometimes I feel like I'm missing something, and I don't know what that is."

"Jared's not filling it for you?" he questioned in a small voice. He felt awful for Haley; he really did. It was killing Nathan to know that Haley was feeling like this. She had always been so sure of everything in her life, and it was strange that she wasn't anymore.

"I don't think so, Nathan," she whispered.

He moved to where she was sitting and took a seat beside her. Wrapping an arm around her in a very surprising move, he sighed. "You gotta figure out what you want, Hales."

She blinked at him several times. Nodding, a smile graced her features. "You called me Hales."

"Oh." He released her, obviously surprised at the closeness that had come between them in the past few minutes. "I guess I did."

She chuckled. "You must not be as mad as you were earlier. You called me Hales and you touched me," she pointed out. "Shocking move, Nathan Scott. Absolutely shocking."

"Yeah, well, I have to keep you on your toes."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

"For listening to me…letting me get this out. I haven't had anyone listen to me like this in a long time except for Taylor, and her drama always exceeds mine. So thank you."

"You're welcome." He patted her shoulder. "If you ever need help with anything, Haley, you can talk to me. I know things aren't like they used to be at all, but I will help you if you need it. I promise."

"Okay." She nodded and took a deep breath. "You know what I was wondering earlier?" He shook his head. "I was wondering what it would have been like if we had gotten back together the night I came home.."

His eyes widened. He was surprised she had been thinking about that stuff when she had a man she was supposed to marry back home in California. But if he was going to be honest, he had wondered about it before…on the days where he had nothing to do, and he just let his mind wander. It would wander back to Haley and what could have been. "I, um, I've wondered too," he admitted. "I don't know what would have happened, Haley."

"Me either," she agreed. "I keep thinking different things, you know? Like maybe we would have gotten a divorce anyway because we weren't really meant to be, or maybe we would have been parents by now."

"I would have wanted a daughter," he said in a soft voice. "Remember when we got married and I told you that? That I wanted a little girl just like you?"

Of course she remembered it. That was the night she married the man of her dreams. She didn't forget anything about that night. As much as she wanted to forget it and move past it all, she couldn't. That was a major event in her life, and memories of that just didn't go away.

"I'd never forget that," she whispered. "That was one of the sweetest things you'd ever said to me."

"Oh, Haley! Anything I said to you was sweet. You just don't want to admit it," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. Their walk down memory lane was apparently over, and she was okay with that. She didn't need to wonder about what might have been anymore than she already was. It was too hard. "You're right. Anything that you said was sweet. Especially when we would fight and you would go off about how things you did weren't my business even though we were married," she muttered sarcastically.

"I was probably impaired by either alcohol or anger," he retorted. "Sorry."

She waved her hand at him. "Water under the bridge."

He was about to respond when his phone went off. He walked across the room to pick it up, cringing when he read the name. It was Alyssa calling. He began to feel a little guilty. Here he was, sitting in a hotel room with his ex-wife while his girlfriend called him. She had no idea what he was up to. He didn't feel guilty about a lot of things in his life, but right now, he kind of did. And he also felt guilty that he actually had a girlfriend when Haley was right there.

"Uh…" He looked up at Haley, who was looking at him with curious eyes. "It's, um, it's Alyssa."

"Oh." He saw her face fall for a brief second, but it was so quick that he thought he had imagined it. "Take it, Nathan. It's probably important."

"You're right." He gave her a slight smile and flipped open the phone. "Hey," he greeted. "What's up?"

"Hey you," she responded in her breathy voice. "I was just sitting here at my desk wondering what my star basketball player boyfriend was up to?"

"Just at the hotel," he replied, running a hand through his dark hair. "I think I'm going to meet up with Lucas and Jake later at the River Court and shoot around."

"Sounds fun. I wish I could see everyone again," she whined. "Stupid business."

"I know, but I'm sure you'll see them soon. You can come visit whenever you'd like. Brooke would love it. She'd drag you to all her favorite stores and what not. You know her."

She laughed. "I would rather be there with you than here, so if Brooke was going to drag me to some stores, I would have no problem with that."

"I'm sure you wouldn't. But hey, I'm about to go do something," he lied to her, "can I call you later?"

"Oh yeah. Just whenever you have time. I know you're probably pretty busy down there."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'll talk to you soon."

After they hung up, he looked over at Haley. She was sitting straight up and looked just a little uncomfortable. He probably would be too if he was sitting there listening to his ex talk with her boyfriend or whatever Jared was.

"Sorry about that." He shrugged.

"Oh, it's okay…I think this is harder than I thought it was going to be."

He sighed. "What is, Haley?" Even though he knew very well what she was talking about.

The two of them being friends was going to be hard for her. It was hard listening to him talk to his girlfriend on the phone. And it was hard wondering what would have happened with the two of them had they stayed together. It was all hard to her when she knew in her heart that she still felt something for Nathan. As much as she didn't want to, she felt it. And that scared the hell out of her.

She didn't know she still had feelings. She couldn't have known it when she was getting on that plane to North Carolina. She had moved on with her life, and buried her love for Nathan. But seeing him again, and being near him, and talking to him again…it made those feelings she had long ago buried come back up. And that wasn't something she was expecting.

"Us being friends. It's hard with everything we went through back in high school."

He nodded. "I understand, and you're completely right. Maybe we can't be friends…there's a lot of history with us."

That was probably the truth. There was too much history there for them to even be friends. Too much had gone on and they knew too much about each other to make a friendship work. Sure, they would be cordial and all when they saw each other, but once this wedding was over, Haley had a feeling that they wouldn't be speaking again until their next meeting.

"We can be kind and everything," she assured him. "But I think that actually being friends and telling each other things is just going to be so hard. We know so much about each other, Nathan, and it's not easy to share things anymore like we used to."

"Back when we were married," he added softly.

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "When we were in love," she threw in as well.

And that was the truth. When they were married and in love, anything that was shared between them was easily spoken. And when the marriage ended, so did the ability to share things. It just wasn't easy anymore, and both of them knew it.


	6. Chapter 6

**So, it has been brought to my attention by a review that this story isn't very "realistic." And I hate that I let a review offend me like that, but it has, so I just thought I would bring some attention to that...you can interpret this story however you want. Like it, don't like it, whatever, but just remember that this story is just that - a story. It's not real life. I don't mean for this to be completely realistic or whatever. I'm just enjoying writing it, and hopefully you guys are still liking it. **

**Now that my little rant is over, I hope you like this next installment. I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with it, but hey, it's here, so I might as well roll with it...enjoy, and keep reviewing! You guys are awesome!**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

"Nathan!" Haley called out, trying to wake him from what seemed to her a very, very deep sleep. "Nathan Scott!"

Finally after she yelled at him for what seemed like the fiftieth time, he rolled over and looked at her. "Jesus, Haley, what the hell do you want?" He glanced at the clock near her bed. "It's eight o'clock."

"I know," she replied, sitting on the bed to tie her shoes. She'd been up since six thirty. She had already showered, eaten, called Jared, Taylor, and her manager. She was doing well. She had plans with the girls at nine, and she knew that the guys were doing something around that same time so she figured he needed to get up eventually. "But I think you're supposed to meet Luke and Jake around nine so I thought you needed to get up."

"How considerate of you." He rolled his eyes. "I actually set my phone alarm for eight thirty, so I was going to get up. Just not this early."

"Good thing we didn't stay married then," she muttered. "I'd be waking you up early everyday and you'd probably want to kill me."

"Kind of like how I want to kill you now?" he mumbled, pushing himself out of bed. She had already woken him up. There was no point in just laying there anymore. She had ruined it for him. He was definitely not a morning person.

"Exactly." She smirked.

He groaned and made his way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, he studied himself closely. He didn't think this was where his life was going to end up. He knew he'd be in the NBA. That was a given, and it had been the plan his entire life. But he always figured he'd have Haley by his side through everything. When he married her, he was sure they'd stick together forever. He didn't think he'd go back to Tree Hill for a wedding while the girl he'd been dating for months now was working back in Los Angeles. And he also figured that if he did have a new girlfriend, he'd be in love with her by now, and at this point, he just...wasn't.

If he were to be honest with himself, Haley was the only girl he had ever been in love with, and a small part of him still was. But he couldn't act on that...not now. Not after everything that had been said and done between them. He had had several girlfriends in the past few years. But he never loved them any of them, and he found that a little strange because he had fallen in love with Haley quite quickly. That was the way it was though, and he didn't know how to change it. Haley was the only one to capture his heart that special way.

An hour later, Nathan was sitting at a table in Jake's house, trying to plan a quick bachelor party with Lucas while Jake ran Jenny to a friend's house. "Strippers?" Luke asked, looking at his little brother.

Nathan looked up, a smile on his face. "I'm never one to turn down strippers, Luke," he informed him.

"You just turn down a lot of other things," Lucas said quietly, looking back down at the paper he was writing on. He still had a lot of planning to do. They were getting married in like two days and he had nothing done for Jake's party.

"Excuse me?" Nathan blinked a few times. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lucas sighed. He hadn't meant to say what he did. It just came out. And now that it did, he was going to have to explain to Nathan what he meant by that, and Nathan was going to get all pissy and it was just not a good way to begin the morning. Brooke had already gotten her period the night before, and he thought that was going to ruin his day...but no. It was probably going to be Nathan's bad attitude.

"Nathan, it's fairly obvious to the rest of the group that you and Hales aren't over each other," he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"God," he scoffed. "I haven't seen her in six years, Lucas. That's ridiculous. Of course I'm over her and she's over me. She's marrying that one guy. Jerry - "

"Jared," Lucas corrected, a smile playing on his lips. "Not Jerry."

"Whatever. I didn't turn Haley down this week," he said, referring to Lucas's earlier comment. "So I don't understand why you're telling me I turn things down."

"You turned her down six years ago," Lucas reminded him. "And if you don't mind me saying so, it was probably the most jackass move you've ever pulled, Nate. Worse than how you were when you first came to town. You broke her heart back then."

"I do mind you saying so," he bit out. "That door was closed a long time ago. And it's not going to reopen just because Haley and I are in the same place. It's - "

"You were in California when she was," Lucas pointed out. "The same place and the door didn't get reopened...but now...you've kind of worked through some of your issues and you're talking and I just...I think that you're not as over her as you're telling me. And it's the same for her."

"She is engaged, Lucas. Engaged," he emphasized. "There's nothing there anymore."

"You can be with someone and not be over somebody else!"

"I'm not you, Brooke, and Peyton," Nathan snarled, getting more pissed off by the second. He loved his brother, but Lucas and his girlfriend were both a little too nosy for his liking sometimes. He wanted to live his life without his meddling brother or his equally meddling girlfriend telling him what he was feeling at all times.

"That was high school," Lucas said calmly, not at all offended by Nathan's bad attitude. He had expected this. He had been bracing himself for the jerk he knew his brother to be.

"Which is the same time Haley and I were married!" he exclaimed, finally getting his point across. That was high school and times had changed. They were grown up now with their own separate lives, and going back to the way things were in high school just didn't exist. Those lives didn't exist.

"Marriage is different than some high school crushes. If you married her you obviously planned on loving her forever. Forever doesn't last until you're like twenty-five, Nathan. It lasts...well, forever. And I think you'll have feelings for her forever. I'm not saying you're in love with her. I'm saying you still have some feelings deep down even if you won't admit them."

He knew in his heart that Lucas had a point, and he also knew he had feelings for Haley, but that didn't mean his older brother needed to know about them. He was going to just let Lucas think he was wrong. He didn't need an 'I told you so' or anything from anyone. Yeah, he had feelings for Haley, and he always would but he didn't want to act on those, and if she had some for him, he was pretty sure she wasn't going to act on them either.

He rolled his eyes. "Luke, just plan your damn stripper party."

Lucas laughed. "Whatever you say."

--

"Hales," Brooke whined. "Just tell us that you have feelings!"

Haley rolled her eyes at her friend and shook her head for what had to be the thirtieth time that morning. "Brooke, no! I do not have feelings for Nathan Scott. That was high school, and newsflash! I'm all grown up now!"

"Me too, and I fell for Lucas in high school, and I'm still with him."

"Yeah," Peyton jumped in, looking up from her sketch pad. She was currently working on something for Brooke's fashion line. "I fell for Jake back then and here I am, marrying him in just two days."

"You also fell for Luke," Haley pointed out, sipping her coffee.

"Temporary insanity." She waved it off. "Jake's my forever, Haley, and I think in your heart, Nathan's probably yours."

"Okay, you know what?" Haley set down her mug and looked at her friends. She was just going to tell them about her and Jared. It was time to just get it out. Maybe then they would get off her back about being in love with Nathan or whatever they were trying to tell her.

She had some feelings, but she always would. She figured that was to be expected when you marry a boy in high school and end that marriage. You always come back to your first love, someone had told her once, and she was sure to go back to hers. But she wasn't going to. That was the thing. Haley was with Jared now, and it was going to stay that way.

"I am marrying Jared," she blurted out, watching the eyes of her friends grow wider by the millisecond. "He asked me in Starbucks, I said yes, and here we are."

Brooke coughed. "You're...you're marrying him?"

"Sure am." She nodded.

"I don't know if I buy it," Brooke said to Peyton, raising an eyebrow. "Where's the ring?"

"I didn't wear it," she admitted. "It's in my purse. I didn't want to take away from your week, Peyton."

"Either that or you didn't want to make Nathan mad," Peyton said to her, putting down her pencil.

"Nathan has nothing to do with this," she bit out, annoyed. She wasn't concerned about Nathan's thoughts on her engagement...at least she thought she wasn't. "When I came back here, I knew that Nathan would be an ass...and you know, if I announced an engagement, his attitude wouldn't have changed. He'd still be an ass, so my decision wasn't about Nathan. At all."

"So this was all about Peyton?" Brooke inquired, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. She was having a tiny problem believing that. Haley still loved Nathan, she just knew it. While she knew that Haley, in her own way, loved Jared, she also knew that Nathan was Haley's soul mate...if the two of them would have just realized that by now. She wouldn't admit it to anyone that she felt like that, but she knew it back in high school, and she still knew it. They were meant to be...it didn't take a genius to figure that out.

"Yes!" she nearly shouted. "This was about Peyton! I'm not taking away from your week!" she addressed her friend, who was seriously concentrating on this sketch of hers. "I'm not going to take anything else away from your week, Peyton. I came back to Tree Hill, and that was pretty big news. But announcing an engagement? That's even bigger."

"If Nathan weren't here, would you?" Peyton asked, smirking a little.

Haley groaned. Of course they were going to do this. Ask her questions to get her to admit she still had feelings for Nathan. It was so Peyton and Brooke like. "You guys..."

"Answer the question, Haley," Peyton urged.

"Yeah," Brooke jumped in. "Answer the question, Haley."

She sighed and looked away. "I honestly have no idea. Do I

worry about how Nathan feels about it? Yeah, I do, but I don't know why. He's dating that one girl, and I'm sure he doesn't worry about how I'm feeling about that."

"You would have told us," Brooke surmised, nodding to Peyton. She was sure of it. She knew they both had hidden feelings, and she knew Haley would have told. She just knew it.

"Whatever. It doesn't even matter because that's a different situation that's not even happening."

"But if it was, you would have told us!" Brooke sing-songed, smiling. "You would have told us!"

"Shut up," Haley grumbled, rolling her eyes.

--

"How was it with the guys?" Haley asked Nathan later that day, when they had both somehow managed to get back to the hotel at the same time. Both of them were sick of their friends' questioning and taunting, and just wanted to get back to the hotel room. They both needed breaks. His answer was an eye roll and a shake of his head. "That bad, huh?"

"Hell," he muttered, throwing his sweatshirt on the cot. "It was pure hell."

"Why?" She plopped down on her bed, crossing her legs Indian styled, waiting for him to continue. "Did Lucas beat you in one on one or something?"

"Please," he scoffed. "I am an NBA player, Haley. Do you think Lucas is going to beat me in a damn one on one game?"

"Geez." She held up her hand in order to somehow fight off his harsh words. "I was just asking. And Lucas beat you before," she reminded him.

He frowned. "That was one time. In high school. He didn't even play in college because of his heart!"

"I know, Nathan. Why are you in such a bad mood? I didn't do anything to you today so quit taking your issues out on me!"

"Sorry," he apologized, looking contrite. "It's just...well, Luke just kept grilling me on how we weren't over each other. Then Jake came home and jumped in on it too. Finally, I just had it. I was gonna snap, Haley. I had to get out of there."

She was surprised to hear that. She knew girls were like that with their friends. It had been like that ever since elementary if she could remember correctly. Little girls were always wanting to know who their friends had crushes on. Of course that would carry on when they were getting out of college. Girls just didn't lose that trait...but guys? She had no idea guys were like that.

"They really did that?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, flopping his head down on his pillow after he got on his cot. "It was awful. I couldn't handle it."

"Understandable."

"Right." He nodded. "How was it with Brooke and Peyton?"

"Actually..." She laughed at the irony of the situation. "They were talking to me about the same thing, and I got fed up with it too."

He looked over at her, raising his eyebrows. "Seriously? Wow. They're all perfect for each other."

"Yeah. So," she said after a brief pause, "was Luke right?"

His face turned red and he looked back up at the ceiling. Of course Lucas was right. Coming back to Tree Hill just made him sure that he had feelings for her, but the question was, did he really want to be honest with Haley about them? She had a serious boyfriend - well, fiancé now - and he wasn't sure telling her the truth would be good for her relationship. But then again, she wasn't even sure she wanted to marry Jared anymore.

"I, um..." He sighed, not answering her.

She got up and walked over to him, sitting by his chest. He sat up on his elbows and looked her straight in her chocolate brown eyes. "Was Lucas right?" she repeated.

She was so close to him. He could smell the hint of minty gum on her breath, and the vanilla shampoo she had used that morning, which was still sitting in the shower. He noticed the tiny freckle below her lip, and the way her forehead crinkled a little when she was serious. He took in her new hair color, and the way it matched everything about her perfectly. The blonde matched her deep brown eyes, and it was also the perfect color for her personality. Haley was a bright, friendly, sunny girl, and her hair definitely enhanced that about her.

He had to tell her. There was no way he couldn't now that she was asking. It didn't mean anything, but if he had learned anything from being with Haley, it was that honesty was completely necessary. Without it, he had nothing.

"Haley," he whispered, not trusting his voice. "I think that there's always going to be something in my heart for you. You were the girl of my dreams, and I don't forget that easily."

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. She had no idea he was going to be that open and honest about this topic when she had asked him. She had expected him to brush it off, saying that he had a girlfriend and anything he felt didn't matter anymore. But he hadn't. And now here they were - sitting on this little, tiny bed with Nathan admitting there was still something in his heart for her.

Before she could say anything, he was brushing back a lock of hair from her eye. "I mean that, Haley. You were the girl of my dreams, and now that I'm seeing you again...I can't help but wonder what went wrong with us." She gave him a soft smile, waiting for him to continue. Leaning up on his elbows even further, just to get closer to her, he continued. "I told myself that I wasn't going to act on anything I felt for you anymore. But you're sitting here, asking me if Lucas and everyone is right? They are, Haley, they are. A part of me is still in love with you, and I thought it was dead, but it's not."

She nodded and blew out a slow breath. "Wow. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be hearing that from you," she admitted, looking him straight in his deep blue eyes. "But it's really nice to hear it," she added, seeing the look on his face. "A part of me is still in love with you too, Nathan." He smiled widely at her, pleased to know she felt the same way. "I thought it was dead, just like you did, but it's not. And I think that's why we both still wonder sometimes about the what-ifs. What if we had stayed together, and what if you had taken me back the night I showed up on the porch? But we can't dwell on that...we're here now, and we just have to deal with things the way they are."

Without waiting for her to continue or to form a sentence himself, Nathan's lips were on hers in a crushing kiss. It was the most passion Haley had felt in six years, she was sure of that. Her hands came up to cup his face, and slowly but surely, he laid back on the cot, pulling her on top of him.

Her hands began combing through his thick hair, and his traveled the length of her back. The feel of her body on his made him think something of Tree Hill that he hadn't thought in a long, long time: it was home. With Haley there, it was home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone for your continued reading and replies...I really appreciate it! :)**

**And a big thank you goes out to Shannon for being my first ever beta! I feel like a real writer now! lol :)**

**Here's chapter 7..enjoy!**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

Kissing Nathan again was something Haley James never pictured herself doing. And she had pictured herself doing a lot of things. But the night they had ended it, or rather, he ended it with her if she was completely honest, she thought it was the total end. She figured she'd see him occasionally, and they would exchange terse smiles and that would be that. She knew she would always love him, but she didn't expect anything to ever come of that again.

It had been hard accepting that. Accepting that she and Nathan would never get back to the couple they once were was really difficult. But it was accepting the fact that they would never be a couple _at all _that was the hardest. The man she had promised to spend her life with didn't want her anymore, and that was devastating. And she thought she had gotten over that…until her return to Tree Hill.

She wasn't over Nathan, and she was kidding anyone who thought she really was. But from what she had realized, people weren't buying it anyway. Everyone knew how she felt about him.

She pulled back a few seconds later, her thoughts just going too fast and too hard to be kissing him anymore. Running her hand along his cheek, she smiled down at him. "That was…" She trailed off, not sure what she could say to even describe how she was feeling.

"Wow," he murmured, smiling back at her. "That was…wow."

She nodded, unable to think about anything else besides Nathan and everything that had happened between them six years ago until this very moment. He had been her everything back then, and if he'd allowed it, he would still have been her everything. "Nathan…"

"You don't have to say anything, Haley," he said softly, placing a finger on her soft lips. Lips that had been attached to his own not one minute ago. "Everything you're feeling…everything you've felt…I've felt it too."

She kissed him again, loving that they had the opportunity for this again. She was so thankful she had come back for the wedding. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to reconnect with Nathan. She wouldn't have been able to feel like this again. And that would be a shame. Because what she felt with Nathan was nothing like she had felt with other men. He had her in a way that no one else would.

"You always get it," she whispered when they pulled apart again. "You always have."

"Always will," he replied, raising his eyebrows at her. "Do you want to know something?"

"Sure," she responded, her smile still wide on her face. God, she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled like this. She thought she was happy in California with her new life, but she really wasn't. Kissing Nathan and just being around him again made her realize that. She was only truly happy when she was with him.

"When we were kissing just a minute ago, the only thing I could think that Tree Hill felt like home again. Because you make it that way, Haley. Tree Hill is only home when you're around."

"Want to know what I was thinking?"

"Yeah," he replied, brushing her hair back from her face. "Always."

"I was just thinking that I'm not truly happy unless I'm with you. I thought I was happy in California, with my career and all my friends there and with all my friends back here, but I'm not. Nathan, I'm not. I didn't realize that up until I saw you again, I was faking my happiness. I was faking it all, and I didn't know it until you walked back into my life."

"Thank you," he said, not sure what else he could say to her admission. He had never heard words that sweet before. He'd heard a lot of great things from girls over the years, and back when he and Haley were together, she said a lot of sweet things, but none even compared to what she had just said. He was the way for her to be happy in life, and he loved that he was that person for her.

Before either could make another move, Nathan's phone was going off. Haley suddenly was shaken out of the trance Nathan had on her and jumped up. "Oh my God," she whispered, staring down at him like he was a monster. "Oh no."

He knew what was going through her mind, and he hated himself for it. They had both messed up. Sure, the mess up felt good, but in the end, it would cause nothing but trouble. He got up too, going for his phone. He sighed when he read the name on the caller ID. Alyssa. Shit.

"Girlfriend?" she inquired, sitting on her own bed. She didn't want to be anywhere near Nathan's bed anymore. No way.

"Yeah," he said quietly, setting his phone back down. He couldn't talk to Alyssa yet. Not after all this. He didn't have the heart to lie or pretend right now. "We fucked up, Haley."

"We did," she agreed, nodding.

It wasn't that she regretted the kiss itself. She didn't. That kiss was one of the best kisses she had experienced in six years, and it felt good. But she regretted how they went about it. She had a fiancé in California, and he had a girlfriend. They had broken up a long time ago, and they just had no business kissing each other anymore. None.

"It was a good kiss, Nathan," she informed him, blushing a little. "But it can't happen again. You have Alyssa and I have Jared, and it's not fair to them."

"You're right." He ran his hands through his dark hair nervously. "I don't want to tell her, Haley," he said quietly. "Things are really good with us, and I don't want to screw that up…yeah, I'm not over you, but I really don't think we have a future anymore, do you?"

Ouch.

Slap in the face to Haley. She knew that was the truth. She knew that they always ended up hurting each other and that they didn't need to be together anymore. Sure, it was the same thing she thought, but he didn't have to say it like that. There was no need for him to be so…blunt.

She was hurt, so she did the only thing she knew in that situation. She picked a fight. "We could have if you hadn't been so damn stubborn back then."

"Shit, Haley!" He stood up, pacing the room like a caged animal. "You're seriously going to bring that shit up again? I thought we were fine! I thought we got it worked out! We were getting along!"

"No," she denied hotly. "I remember fighting and then not fighting and then becoming friends but realizing it was too hard. Then we kept getting accused of wanting each other again, and next thing I know, we're kissing!"

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't as worked out as I thought it was," he admitted, cringing. "I don't know what to do."

She wrung her hands nervously. "I don't either. Everything is so screwed up right now, Nathan. And maybe they've always been like this, and I'm just now seeing it. I don't know…but this can't happen again. It was a one time thing, and it's done now."

Before Nathan could speak, a knock sounded on the door. Haley sighed and got up to answer it. "Brooke," she said tersely when she came face to face with her friend.

"Jeez." Brooke backed up a little bit, shocked at the cold reception. "I thought you'd be at least semi-happy to see me!"

She sighed again. "No, I am…it's just turning out to be one of those long days. You want to come in?"

"Thanks." She sauntered in and threw her purse on a nearby chair, looking back and forth between Haley and Nathan. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Nathan confirmed immediately. "Why wouldn't we be okay?"

"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged. "Probably because your face is red and you look pissed and Haley's hair is just a bit too tousled for taking a quick nap in her hotel room." Brooke fingered a lock of Haley's hair. "You two were doing something you probably shouldn't have been doing," she said accusingly, pointing at them.

"Brooke…" Haley shook her head.

"Don't even lie to me, Tutor Girl and Boy!" she exclaimed. "You two totally had something going on up here just a few minutes ago, didn't you?"

"Brooke," Haley repeated, giving her a look that basically told her to shut up, "don't worry about what was going on up here, alright? Everything is fine."

"Yeah because you two were going at it hot and heavy!" she cried out, her mouth dropping open. "I knew this was going to happen! I knew it!"

Nathan frowned and stood up, wanting to get Brooke out of the room so he and Haley could continue talking or fighting or whatever it was they were about to do. "There something you needed, Brooke?"

"Actually, I just came by to tell Haley I was sorry for how I was behaving earlier. You know, thinking you and Nathan still had something?" she asked, looking at Haley. "But now that I'm here, I'm thinking the apology doesn't matter. Because I was right!"

Haley's eyes pleaded with Brooke. "Please don't do this," she whispered. "It's not what you think, Brooke."

"Oh, it is exactly what I think! You two got caught in a little situation where your lips couldn't help but gravitate towards each other! I'm not stupid, and I'm willing to bet that any of our friends that saw this would think the same thing I am. Or maybe not…because I'm brighter than everyone." She smirked at them. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone and I'm not going to meddle."

"Thank you!" Nathan burst out. He didn't need anyone knowing about this, and neither did Haley.

"But." She held up her hand. "I am going to give you two my opinion before I'm on my merry way again and leaving you to make out or something."

"Well then let's have it," Nathan muttered. He didn't really want to hear it, considering Brooke hadn't been that friendly towards him since he got into town, but really, what choice did he have? She knew what had just happened and he was willing to bet that unless they heard Brooke out, she wouldn't just sweep it under the rug.

"I was going to tell you whether you wanted to hear it or not, so I'm glad you're urging me on, Nate." She smiled a devious smile and Nathan rolled his eyes. "Look, you two are some of the best people I know. Nathan, granted you're an ass a lot, I still love you, and I know you have a good heart. And Haley, just because you made mistakes back then doesn't mean you're not a good person either. But when you guys were together in high school, you were even better people than who you are when you're alone. I think that you two belong together, and I always have. I know you're both going to be stubborn and not do anything with what I'm telling you, but you need to know.

"I remember that you made the rest of us believe in true love. I looked at you guys back then and wanted to find that same thing someday. It sucks that you guys lost it, but Nathan, Alyssa is not the girl for you. And Hales, Jared? No. He might be a good replacement, but he is no Nathan. You are each other's soul mates, and I really, really wish you would figure that out. You know, I was scared for you guys to see each other again because I figured it would be all arguing and shit like that…but it's not. The fact is, love has once again showed for the two of you, and you need to realize that. Before it's too late."

Haley felt a tear roll down her cheek and looked up at Nathan. His blue eyes were full of vulnerability, and that scared her. She was worried that with Brooke saying these things, Nathan was going to put it all on the line, and she couldn't handle that. Not now.

"Well." She wiped under her eyes and cleared her throat. "Thank you for your opinion."

Brooke's face softened as she looked at Haley. She knew that Haley was going to think long and hard about this. She just didn't know if she would realize what everyone else knew - that Nathan was it for her, and not Jared or anyone else.

"Just think about it," Brooke urged quietly. "Everyone knows you two are perfect together. We're just waiting for you to figure it out."

She swung the door open to leave but stopped dead in her tracks when she realized someone else was on the other side of the door.

"Jared," she said, surprised.

Haley and Nathan's heads both whipped towards the door, and it felt like time had stopped.


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, let me just tell you all thank you so much for the replies!! I love reading them all, and they make me want to keep on writing! I swear I get on my laptop every night to crank out another chapter...it doesn't always work out, but I try! Secondly, I just wanted to address something that was brought up in a review...it was kind of brought up that it was confusing why Nathan and Haley thought their kiss was wrong. And I can totally see why it would be, so I wanted to just tell you what I was thinking when I wrote it just to clear up that confusion. In my head, they are both so much older than they were when they were married, and they both have significant others now. They've grown up in the fact that they realize they can't just go kissing other people whenever they want. But at the same time, they're both confused when it comes to each other. Their heads and their hearts are saying two different things, and when it comes to the two of them together, they really can't figure out right from wrong. Anyway, I hope that helps and enough of my rambling! Here's chapter eight...it's pretty big for Nathan so I hope you like it! :)**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

"Jared!" Haley snapped out of whatever it was she was in and ran towards her fiancé. "What are you doing here?! I thought you had to work!"

He opened his arms and picked Haley up, spinning her around. It felt so good to hold her again. She hadn't been gone that long, but every time she left for a concert tour or something, he hated it. He hated not having her around. Even though he was busy with work, it was comforting knowing that she was still in the same town as him, just a few minutes away if he needed her. "I got off. I wanted to surprise you."

When Jared set her down, he quickly pecked her lips. "Well, you did!" she replied, bringing her fingertips up to where he had just kissed. As much as she hated the thought rolling around in her head, she was kind of disappointed that he had just kissed over where Nathan had. There was something about Nathan that had always pulled her in, and when he kissed her, she knew it was happening all over again. Even though it was wrong.

"Good!" He kissed her again and then poked his head around Haley to see who else was in her room. He understood why Brooke was there, but Nathan Scott? Why in the hell would a basketball player be in her room? "Hey, Brooke." He smiled at her.

"Hi," she replied, stepping up to give him a quick hug. "It's nice to see you. It's been a while."

"Yes it has," he agreed, nodding. "But I'm here now. Maybe we should all go out sometime while we're here…like we did when you and Lucas came to California."

She told him that was a good idea before excusing herself, saying she was going over to Peyton's. Haley smiled up at Jared…well, she tried to smile. She was still a bit shaken up. So much had happened in one day. "Jared, this is Nathan. He's a, um….a friend of mine from high school."

Realizing that Haley hadn't told Jared about the two of them and their marriage way back when, Nathan jumped in. He owed Haley that. He owed her some help for all the times she had helped him out back in high school. "She, uh, she tutored me. I would have failed junior year if it wasn't for your girlfriend here."

"Fiancée," Jared corrected, shaking Nathan's hand. "Hales, you never told me you went to school with Nathan Scott."

"Ah," Nathan responded, looking down at Haley and then back up at Jared. "You must be a basketball fan."

"Damn right I am. You got screwed last season in that game against the Bobcats, man. Tough call."

"Tell me about it," Nathan muttered. "But hey, we'll kick their asses next season. I guarantee it. They lost Okafor."

"You guys deserve to win. So…Scott? Like as in related to Lucas?"

Nathan's eyes widened. Haley really had not told Jared anything about her past. He figured that Jared would at least know that Lucas was his brother. That wasn't a big secret, and he found it very strange that Haley never even bothered to share that information with the man she was supposed to marry.

As he looked between the two of them, he realized that they just didn't fit together. Haley seemed…nervous around him. And he knew it wasn't just because her ex-husband was in the room. It was because her life was a total lie when she was around him. She'd been faking so much to please him that she wasn't even herself anymore. That scared the hell out him. Haley had never been one to hide who she was. She was always proud of herself, and the fact that she wasn't herself around Jared only proved that she was different - more so than he wanted to believe.

"I'm his brother," Nathan replied as he watched a pleading look come across Haley's eyes. "I'm surprised he never mentioned it. Or Haley even."

"When the four of us get together, it's kind of all about partying," Haley explained, taking hold of Jared's arm. "Right, honey?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "We have a lot of fun together when they come around…lots of fun with alcohol."

"Really?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. "I always remembered you being a lightweight, Hales."

"Things have changed, Nathan," she said tersely. "Nathan had a mix up with his room so he's been staying with me. That's why we've got the cot set up over there." She pointed. "We were waiting until another room opened up for him…in fact, Nathan, you and I can go see if we can get you another room now. I mean, Jared's here so obviously I'll be rooming with him. But while Jared gets settled, you and I can go down and check about getting you your own room."

"That sounds good to me," Jared said, kicking off his shoes. "Thanks for watching over my girl, Nathan."

He gave a slight smile. "It was no trouble. Hales?" He offered her his arm and they left the room together, catching the elevator. "He doesn't know anything about you," he accused her once they were inside.

She let go of him and crossed her arms over her chest. "My past is something that I'm not too proud of, Nathan," she replied as she hit the button for the ground floor. "So much happened back then, and I'm sorry that I don't like sharing that."

"Okay, Haley, you know what? I can understand you not wanting to tell like fans or paparazzi or even someone that you've only known two weeks. But the guy you're marrying? You owe him the truth about your life!"

"Why are you so concerned about this, Nathan?" she bit out. "Does your girlfriend know that you used to have a wife back when you were sixteen years old?"

"Don't make this about me," he ordered her. "This is about you and how you're committing your fake life to that guy in our room."

"It is no longer our room. In fact, it was never our room! It was my room, and you just barged in!"

"You let me!" he defended. He knew what she was doing. She was fighting with him so they could avoid the real issue at hand. He'd played that card with her several times when they were together. But Nathan Scott was going to ignore that. He was going to get the truth out of her. One way or another, he would.

"Well so what if I did?" she fired back, putting her hands on her tiny waist. "I was being a nice person which is so much more than you can say the day we finally saw each other again! You were an ass that entire day!"

"I apologized to you for that!" he reminded her heatedly. "I apologized and you accepted, and it's water under the bridge now!"

"Thank God you are getting your own room!" she blew out. She was fed up with this. She was fed up with them being fine and then biting each others' heads off. Plus, Jared was in town now, and she needed to focus on him. The Nathan ship had sailed a long time ago. "I can't handle you anymore!"

"Yeah, it's a good thing we got an annulment, huh?" he screamed just as the elevator doors opened. They both turned to exit and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Jared Grant standing at the open doors.

"Hey. I took the stairs," he explained. "I left a bag down here that had some work papers in it so I ran…guess it's a good thing I did. Otherwise how would I have known that the woman I'm supposed to marry has already been married?"

"Jared…"

"Don't, Haley," he warned her, shaking his head. There was a fierceness in his eyes that Haley had never seen before. "Just don't."

Nathan stepped up to him to offer some kind of explanation. What that explanation was, he didn't know. He was just going to let it roll off his tongue when his mouth opened. Something would come out. It usually did.

But as soon as his mouth opened, Jared's hand came up. His fist collided with Nathan's widened jaw, causing Haley to gasp. Nathan was sent to the floor and Jared walked away, not even looking back.

"Oh my God!" Haley cried out, dropping down to her knees. Nathan looked up at her, his hand on his aching jaw. "Are you okay?" She gently touched his shoulder and he pulled back.

"This would have been so much less painful if you had just told the truth, Haley," he blew out. "For all of us."

"I'm sorry," she responded, leaning back against the wall. "God, Nathan, I am so sorry. I'm sorry I lied and I'm sorry you got dragged into it. He had no right to hit you. Absolutely none."

He shook his head, getting to his feet. "You owe that guy an explanation." He pointed to the doors where Jared had so angrily left. "You either tell him now, or I'll find him and tell him myself."

He was threatening her. He was seriously going to threaten her and the life she had built for Jared and herself. When she met Jared, she figured it wouldn't have gone further than dating a few months. She never saw herself getting engaged again and so she was never truthful with him about being married to Nathan. She didn't tell him much about high school except that it was hard because so much drama went on in Tree Hill, and he knew that she had left when she was sixteen to tour with the Wreckers and Chris Keller.

When the two of them got engaged, she planned on telling him. After all, he was going to be her husband, and he deserved to know. Except every time she decided to bring it up, she chickened out. And then not too long after they got engaged, she got nervous, and didn't even know if she wanted to marry him. She needed time, and she figured in that time, he didn't need to find out.

And that was how she ended up where she was. On the floor of an elevator in the Covington, watching as her former husband walked away, his jaw already bruising because her fiancé had hit him for once being married to her.

Nathan didn't deserve that. In fact, he didn't deserve anything that had happened to him because of her in all the time that she'd known him. He didn't deserve the lies she told him when she was singing with Chris Keller. He didn't deserve her leaving him at the age of sixteen when he needed her and depended on her. He certainly didn't deserve being hit by Jared. Nathan had never done anything but love her, and she continued to spit on that time and time again.

She had to find Jared. Now that the truth of what had happened back then with her and Nathan was out, she needed to explain it to him. She needed to tell him what had happened in her own words, and just hope that he believed her. If he didn't, though, she couldn't blame him. She had been lying since the day they met.

Pushing herself to her feet, she briefly apologized to the man behind the front desk and walked out onto the street, determined to find Jared. He was going to hear her out.

--

Nathan was fuming as he made his way to the River Court. He couldn't believe the guy had the nerve to hit him! He hadn't lied to him. He hadn't pretended to be something that he wasn't just so they could stay together. He didn't deserve to get hit for Haley's mistakes.

But then again, he was part of the reason she had made the mistakes. He had told her a long time ago that he couldn't be with her anymore, and he pushed the annulment on her. Well, Dan did really, but that was beside the point. It was partly his fault that they had gotten the annulment, and it was partly his fault that she had lied.

When he heard a car pull up behind him, he turned around, finding his older brother. Lucas slowed the car, rolling down the window. Nathan rolled his eyes and stopped walking. He really didn't feel like talking, but Lucas was persistent, and he wouldn't give up. Nathan knew that.

"Need a ride?"

Nathan shook his head. "Thanks, but, uh, I think I'll just walk."

Lucas looked around. "Where are you going?"

"The River Court. I need to blow off some steam," he answered, beginning to walk again.

"Nathan." The tone in Lucas's voice stopped him and he turned around again. He didn't say a word, just waited on his brother to speak again. "What happened with Haley?"

"How do you know something happened with Haley?" he questioned, crossing his arms.

"You used to have a tendency to run when you two got in fights way back when. You're running now, so I figured something must have happened." Nathan sighed and nodded. "Come on, little brother. Get in the car."

He pulled open the door and settled in beside his brother. "I kissed her," he blurted out, not even thinking.

Lucas slammed on the brakes. "You what?!"

Nathan pulled back a little bit, surprised at Lucas's reaction. After all, he was the one that said there was something still there with Haley. "I kissed her, Lucas. We were talking about how everyone thought we still had a thing for each other, and she basically asked me if I did…and then I kissed her."

"Is that how you got that bruise on your jaw?" He snickered a little, earning a glare from Nathan. "Sorry. Please continue."

"We kissed, and we basically told each other some of our feelings, and it felt really good, you know? I actually felt like I was home when I was with her, Lucas, and I haven't felt that in years. And she told me that she wasn't truly happy with her life, and she didn't realize it until I kissed her."

"Damn." Lucas let out a low whistle.

"It was a really good moment, and then the phone rang, and we both realized how much we fucked up. She's got Jared, and I've got Alyssa, and we realized how wrong we were to do that…no matter how good it felt."

Lucas nodded. "Understandable…but that still doesn't explain how you got that bruise on your jaw? Did you say something stupid and she hit you? What happened?"

"Get this," Nathan started, running his hand along the bruise. "Brooke stopped in, realized what had happened, and gave us a little lecture about how we need to realize we belong together before it's too late. And then as she was leaving, Jared showed up."

"No shit?" His eyes grew wide. That was just Nathan and Haley's luck…to finally realize how they felt about each other, and then have it ruined. It seemed like timing was never good with them.

"No shit," he repeated. "Anyway, while Jared was getting settled, Haley and I go downstairs to get me another room, and we start fighting. I screamed something at her about how it was good we got that annulment, and Jared heard because he left a bag down there and had taken the stairs pretty damn fast to get it. He heard me say it, hit me, and walked out." Nathan took a deep breath when he was finished. It was a heck of a long story, and Lucas had gotten the condensed version.

"What did Hales do?" he inquired, parking the car at the River Court.

"She asked if I was okay, and I told her that she needed to tell that guy the truth or I would. And then I left."

"What? You just left her there?"

"Well, shit, Lucas. What was I supposed to do? Cradle her in my arms and tell her it was okay? Kiss her and make it all better? It doesn't work like that anymore, and in fact, it never did. I was never enough for Haley."

"You've got to be kidding me," Lucas scoffed. "You were her everything! She was just a scared teenager back then, Nate! That was why she left you! She didn't leave because you weren't enough. She left because she was scared and she had a dream, and you were too stubborn and full of pride to admit that. Hell, you still are."

Nathan ignored his brother and the two of them got out of the car and made their way onto the court. It was the one place in Tree Hill that always made Nathan feel better. No matter what was going on in his life, he would go out there and find peace. It was kind of like his sanctuary, and he spent a lot of time out there when Haley had left him. And anytime he went back to Tree Hill since then, that's usually where he ended up.

He just found himself at peace there. He could think without other people jumping down his throats. And when he was thinking, it came out clearly. He didn't have fifty thousand thoughts rushing together in his mind. Everything made sense there, but then again, most things did when he had a basketball in his hands.

As Lucas took a shot, Nathan reflected on what his brother's words had been just a few minutes before. He told him that he was too stubborn and full of pride to admit that what he did and who he was had been enough for Haley back then. And he was still the same way now. Okay, so maybe Lucas was right. Nathan knew that part of the reason he sent Haley away six years ago was because of his pride. He didn't want to take her back, and damage what little pride he had left.

But he was older now. He was Nathan Scott, star basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't need to worry about what others thought of him anymore. He could do whatever he wanted and get respect for it. That was one of the perks of his career.

He could get back with Haley now, and not worry about how it would look to the kids in his class or whatever. That kiss had sent his mind rolling with thoughts of what-ifs even more than it had been. And the one that just kept repeating in his mind dealt was, "What if I get back with Haley now?"

And there was a part of him that really, really wanted to find out what the answer to that question was.

"Lucas." He stopped his brother from chasing after the ball and took a deep breath. "I think I want her back."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys!:) I'm back with another chapter! I wanted to apologize for taking so much time between my updates. I don't like it when authors just abandon their stories, so I'm really sorry that I've done it to you guys! I'll try to be better, I promise! Anyway, hope you like the latest installment! Keep reviewing..you guys rock!**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

Haley finally found Jared back at the hotel, after searching all over Tree Hill. She had even gone down the River Court, but ended up finding Nathan and Lucas there. She made sure she hid so they couldn't see her and she left after a few minutes of watching them shoot around the ball, wanting to find Jared.

He was sitting in the lobby, his head in his hands. He looked so…distraught. She didn't know what she could even say or do to make him feel better. "You found me," he stated after she cleared her throat, looking up to meet her eyes.

"Yeah. I looked everywhere," she said softly, sitting down next to him. To her surprise, he didn't move away. "I think we need to talk about what you heard."

"Yeah, I think we do," he said. He was planning on marrying her, for crying out loud! And she had been lying to him for the course of their whole relationship! She told him that she'd never been married, that there was never anyone special to capture her heart. She'd been lying, and he had believed every word. "You lied to me, Haley."

"I know." She hung her head. "I know I did, and you didn't deserve that, Jared."

"You're damn right I didn't!" he exploded, causing a few people to turn their heads at the couple. "I don't understand how you can agree to marry me when you've been carrying around this lie!"

"Let me start at the beginning," she said calmly, ready to tell him everything now. It would be hard for him to listen to, but she owed him that. And if it screwed her over in the end, then so be it. "Nathan is Lucas's brother, obviously, but back in high school, the two of them never even acknowledged that. It's a long, complicated story, and quite frankly, I hate reliving it because I hate their father."

"Then don't relive it, Haley," he said sternly. "Just tell me what I need to know!"

"Before Lucas started playing for the basketball team," she continued, "it was just the two of us against the world. We were best friends, and we used to make fun of the people there for all belonging to these cliques and being part of teams or whatever. And then Lucas decided he was going to join the team, and Nathan hated that. See, Nathan was the star of the team, and Nathan was the son that Dan Scott picked after he had gotten two women pregnant. He left Lucas's mom to raise him alone, and Nathan got the privileged two parent life. Nathan had been raised to hate Lucas, and so his father told him to do what he had to do to get Lucas off the team before he stole Nathan's spot.

"Nathan decided that the best way to hurt Lucas was to go through me. He asked me to tutor him, and after some serious thinking, I agreed." She stopped for a minute, letting Jared take it all in. She knew how big of a load that was. That was part of the reason she never wanted to share it before.

"Then how did you end up marrying him?" he asked quietly after thinking it over.

"It wasn't part of his plan to fall in love with me," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "But he did, and I fell in love with him too. And by that time, Nathan's life was falling apart. His mom had cheated on his dad and his dad was pressuring him so much…he emancipated himself, Jared. Then one day, he asked me to marry him, so we went to my parents, and they gave us their blessing. We got married on the beach, and everything was going so well, you know?" He shrugged and she went on. "Well, then Chris Keller came to town…"

After explaining the rest to him, including how she came back after the tour to be shot down by Nathan, he stood up. "You gave me so much to think about, Haley," he told her, grabbing his bag. "I think that we need to just…take some time apart right now. The fact is, your life is a lie, and I don't know if I can deal with that."

"I understand," she said softly. "I understand, but I don't like it."

"Well, you did this," he reminded her harshly. "You did this, and whatever happens next, you have to live with. I'll talk to you later."

"Jared!" she called out when he was nearly out the doors. "Where are you going to go?"

"You seriously care?" he wondered out loud, walking out the rest of the way.

He left her standing in the lobby, wondering what the hell everything meant.

---

"Just repeat that last part," Lucas urged Nathan. "One more time."

Nathan rolled his eyes at his older brother. He had asked him to repeat the sentence about wanting Haley back like thirty times, and it was getting old now. "Last time, Lucas," he warned in a growl.

"Last time," his brother repeated, grinning from ear to ear.

"I think I want Haley back."

Lucas finally decided to leave Nathan alone and not make him repeat it again. As much fun as that was, he knew his little brother was going to have to talk about it sooner or later. And Nathan had come to him on the topic, so he seemed pretty ready and willing.

"What made you decide this?" Lucas asked calmly, taking a seat at the picnic table off to the side of the court.

"I just keep thinking about the kiss," he admitted, sitting beside his brother. The two boys watched as the sunlight reflected off the river. "You know, I've had a lot of what-ifs in my life, Lucas." Lucas nodded. That was normal. Everyone had those in their lives. "But after that kiss, the one that just keeps playing over and over again is what if I get back with Haley. I think I want to find out."

"Nathan…" Lucas didn't know what to tell his brother. He knew that Nathan loved Haley, and that Haley loved Nathan. Their love was real, and it was the kind that didn't just go away. But Haley was engaged now, and if Lucas knew his best friend, she wasn't going to take that lightly. She was probably going to fight for Jared.

"I know this sounds crazy, Lucas, okay? I know that. I know that I had my shot with her a long time ago, and I should have taken it. I really regret that I didn't. And I thought I was over her…I thought I was over all of it. But seeing her again? It just made me realize that I'm not."

"I didn't think you were," Lucas informed him, grinning when Nathan rolled his eyes. Lucas was always right, and it was about time Nathan understood that. "But she's supposed to marry this guy."

"She told me she was unsure of him!" he argued back. "She told me that she wished she had more time to think about his proposal, and that she's been having second thoughts since the moment she said yes!"

"Look, I'm not saying this to stop you from going after what you want or whatever, but…well, remember after you and Hales got married and she kind of had that breakdown? You came home and she was freaking out when she was going through your CD collection? She was unsure then too, Nathan."

Nathan frowned at his brother. Of all people, Lucas should have known what he was feeling. Lucas had watched him fall apart after Haley left, and he was there to help him pick up the pieces. Lucas knew how much Haley meant to Nathan. "So you're saying what, exactly?" he questioned his brother, his blue eyes cold with hurt. "That I should just forget what I want and let her marry a guy she isn't totally sure about?"

"No," Lucas denied immediately. "I'm saying that you both have your own lives. You've got Alyssa and she has Jared…but if this is something that you really want, and you're willing to hurt the girl who's already in your life, then fine. But just remember that Haley might not want the same things you want now."

"Story of my life," he mumbled. It was just never the right time for the two of them. Every time he wanted her, she didn't want him, and when she wanted him, he didn't want her. It was that way in high school, and it was obviously the same way now

"Nate, I think if you really want to give it another go with Haley, then you should…just think long and hard about it. Think how it's going to affect your life and how it's going to affect hers. This isn't just about what you want."

He took in his brother's words before mumbling something about getting another room at the hotel, and took off for town. He ignored Lucas's calls of protests and just kept moving, needing to be alone.

He got about ten minutes away from the River Court, and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Lucas wasn't following him, pressuring him for more information, and he was glad. He didn't feel like dealing with Lucas at the moment. He'd already given him enough to think about.

Haley was the girl he wanted, the only girl he had ever wanted. Sure, he'd been with plenty of girls before Haley, and plenty of girls after Haley, but none of them compared to her. None of them even came close. He hadn't realized it until kissing her, but each girl he'd been with, he compared to Haley. And every single time he found out that no one compared to her.

And he just had to convince her of that…that she was the one for him - that she always had been, and no one could change that.

---

"Aw, Hales," Brooke tried to soothe her friend, who had been sobbing over her mistakes for quite some time now. "You know, this is a good thing that everything is all out in the open now. Especially if you're getting married."

"Married?" Haley scoffed. "I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon like Jared wanted…or anytime at all, for that matter. He seemed pretty done to me, Brooke." She noisily blew her nose in the tissue that Brooke had passed her a few minutes before.

After snapping out of her trance at the Covington, Haley had walked over to Brooke and Lucas's place, praying that one of them was there. She needed a friend to talk to. She needed someone to tell her that things would be okay, and that she'd been right by telling him the truth. Luckily for her, Brooke was there, and Brooke was the person telling her things would be okay.

"Well that's his loss," she said firmly, looking into Haley's chocolate brown eyes. "You told him the truth, Haley, and if he's not okay with that, then so be it. Move on without him."

"It's not that easy," she argued with her friend. "I'm engaged to him as of right now. I can't just forget that."

"No, but if the two of you break up, then move on. He obviously is not the right person for you if he can't accept what you did."

"I can never find the right person," she muttered, more to herself than Brooke. She wasn't looking for a pity party. "It's like any great guy I have, things end with them because of what I've done."

"Hales, you lost Nathan because you left him, and when you came home it was too late. You don't even know if you've lost Jared yet…but speaking of, dish on what happened with you and Natey!"

She blushed and looked away. What had happened with Nathan was so special, and she would always treasure the memory, even though it was wrong. "It was…an amazing kiss," she admitted guiltily. "I haven't felt what I felt then in…forever, honestly."

"Nathan always had magic lips." Brooke sighed wistfully.

Haley nearly choked on her own saliva. "I'm sorry. What? How do you know that?"

"What?" Brooke asked innocently. "You know, I did have to kiss the boy during spin the bottle a few times before you came into our lives."

"Right." She nodded.

"Well, what do you think then? Do you want Nathan back after having another go round on the carousel that is Nathan Scott?"

She groaned and buried her head in her hands. "I'm engaged!"

"Yeah, hmm. About that," Brooke began. "I still haven't seen that ring," she reminded her. "For all I know, you're making it up."

"Oh, shut up," Haley mumbled. She knew that Brooke was teasing her, but seriously? The teasing was not helping matters at all. She didn't know what to do about anything right now. She needed a serious opinion.

As if reading her mind, Brooke spoke. "Look, Haley, I already told you what I thought. I told you that you and Nathan go together. You're like…peanut butter and jelly or salt and pepper or…lime and tequila!" she squealed.

"Maybe so," she allowed. "But didn't that ship sail a long time ago?"

"Well, maybe the wind is bringing it back," she suggested, going along with Haley's metaphor. "Maybe this is that chance you guys were supposed to have when you came home, but Nathan didn't take it."

"Exactly." Haley looked up at her friend. "Nathan didn't take it, so what makes you so sure he's going to want a second chance now?"

"Because I saw the way the boy looked at you back then," she informed her simply. "He was head over heels for you, and I saw the way he looked at you today. He's getting the face back, Haley. The face that says, 'look out world, she's mine.' He's totally falling for you again."

She blinked in surprise. Sure, they had kissed, but was Nathan really falling for her again? After all the time spent apart, was he really going to go there again? And risk so much in both of their lives by doing it?

"You really think that?" she whispered.

"I think it," Lucas interrupted, dropping down on the couch beside his longtime girlfriend. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and looked towards his friend. "You didn't hear this from me, but…Nathan and I had a pretty good talk today, Hales, and I think he wants to try again with you."

"Wow," she marveled. "You guys, I don't…I don't even know what to do with that."

"Well then figure it out," Brooke ordered her gently. "No one can make any decisions for you. You're a big girl now."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "You have to figure out what you want."


	10. Chapter 10

Haley headed back to the hotel, totally confused about everything in her life. There was Jared, and Jared was…stable. He was never volatile with her, and he was patient about everything, which she couldn't say for Nathan. But she wasn't sure she was in love with him the way she had been with Nathan.

Then when it came to Nathan…her heart sped up every time she thought of him. She would think of those baby blue eyes and his crooked smile, and she was gone on him. Nathan, however, had turned her away so many years ago, and she wasn't sure she could handle hurt from him again. It was hard to let go of the first time, and she didn't want to try a second time if it came to that.

Jared understood Haley, and he gave her space when she needed it. He was loving and gentle with her, and he never pushed her. With Jared, she was safe and secure. It never changed. It wasn't that she wasn't safe and secure when she was with Nathan, but Nathan challenged her in a way that Jared never had. And Nathan made her feel like she could take on the world. He made her brave.

She slid the key into the door of her room and was surprised to find Nathan gathering his things together. "I figured you'd still be playing basketball," she said softly, causing him to turn around and face her, stopping what he was doing.

"I got sick of talking to Luke," he admitted, grinning a little bit. He realized he had a lot to say to her, but he didn't know how to start. There was apologizing he wanted to do, and then he just wanted to talk and let it all out. He wanted to let all the feelings he knew he had for her after all those years out. He wanted her to know the truth.

"Happens to me too sometimes," she agreed, chuckling. "He thinks he knows what's best for everyone, and I love him for it, but…it gets kind of old when you want to live your own life, you know?"

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Listen, I owe you an apology for the way I just left earlier. I shouldn't have left you alone on the floor of an elevator, Haley."

"It's better than leaving you alone in an apartment with my crazy sister," she pointed out to him, reminding him of that horrible night. The night when Taylor informed him that his wife was gone, and that she didn't know when or if she would even be coming back.

"True," he agreed. "But I still shouldn't have done it. I was just…surprised that you hadn't told him the truth about your life, Haley. And I know you still have that tattoo on your back, and I'm wondering what lie you told him to get out of that one?"

"A tribute to Michael Jordan," she admitted, turning red.

"You don't even like sports!" he exclaimed, laughing.

"I know," she mumbled. "So, um, are you going to dinner with everyone tonight?"

"I kind of figured I'd skip it," he informed her, zipping up the duffel bag he had brought with him to North Carolina. "I've had a long day."

"Me too, but I'm not skipping it…these are our friends, Nathan, and seriously, how often are we all together for dinner?"

"Not often," he realized out loud, knowing she was right. Peyton, Jake, Lucas, Brooke, and even Haley had put up with a lot from him over the years. He owed it to them to be at their dinner. They were his friends, and had been there whenever they were needed. He cleared his throat. "Are you bringing your boyfriend?"

"Doubt that," she scoffed, sitting on the bed. "Jared is pissed at me, and he has every right to be. I shouldn't have lied to him about all of that."

"No, you shouldn't have," he said, agreeing with her. Well, at least she knew she was wrong. That was still his Haley in there. She had just made some mistakes. "But you told him the truth."

"Yeah," she said in a soft voice. "I just don't know where we go from here…if we even go anywhere from here."

"Why'd you do it, Haley?" he asked her suddenly. "Why did you lie to him about everything? All of that is a huge part of your life and who you are…who you became."

She sighed and shook her head. "I honestly don't know anymore. It's a lot to take in, and I know that's part of it…but then I always figured it wouldn't ever go this far with Jared. I didn't think we'd be getting engaged, so I always kind of figured it didn't matter. Then when he proposed, I knew I had to tell him, but it was never the right time or place."

"Do you regret everything that happened back then?" he asked, fearing her answer.

"God, no!" she exclaimed, her big brown eyes wide and serious. "You were…you were my first love, Nathan…you were my first everything, and I wouldn't change that. Things didn't end how I would have liked them to, but it doesn't mean I regret them. How could I?"

He smiled at that. She didn't regret them or anything that had happened. He was so relieved to hear that. "Haley," he addressed. "I think I'm still in love with you."

She looked up at him, her mouth hanging open. "What?"

He went to sit beside her and took one of her hands in his. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but she didn't pull away, and that pleased Nathan. "It took me six years, an engagement, a swollen jaw, and a kiss in this hotel room to realize that. I want to be with you again, Haley."

She swallowed hard. She didn't know what she could even say. She knew that she still loved Nathan too. It was hard admitting that to herself, but it was the truth. She still loved him, but she knew how wrong it was. She had been engaged to another man, and as far as she knew, she still was. She still had the ring, and he had never told her that they were breaking up.

"I'm engaged, Nathan," she whispered, breaking her hand free of his.

He couldn't ignore the pang of hurt he felt in his heart when she said those words and extracted herself from his grasp. He knew she was engaged, but he was in love with her, and she needed to know that. And he figured once she did that things would work themselves out. He was wrong, apparently.

"I know, but you said yourself you were unsure of it," he reminded her. "You told me that you wanted more time."

"Yeah," she said, "time where I could think about my future and what I really want. Not time where you tell me you're in love with me after six years."

"I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience, Haley," he retorted, standing up.

She stood up too, shaking her head. "Nathan, don't be like this. I'm sorry, but I don't know what you want me to say! You have a girlfriend, and I have a fiancé! I've been with him for a year and a half, Nathan, and I can't just forget that and go running back to you!"

"I never asked you to," he said, strangely calm. "I told you that I wanted us to be together, but I didn't ask you for anything."

"When you told me that you were in love with me," she started, "what did you expect was going to happen? You think I would just say something like 'thanks,' and then be on my own way? What the hell, Nathan?"

"I don't know what I thought would happen!" he exclaimed, running his hands through his thick hair. "But I thought you deserved to know the truth. I made a mistake back then by letting you go. And I wanted you to know that."

"Nathan…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say to him. Everything was so messed up right now. She couldn't promise him anything right now. She had a fiancé, and she needed to work things out with him. That was her priority at the moment.

"Forget it," he muttered. "It was stupid."

With that, Nathan picked up his things and left the room, not looking back once.

He knew where he stood with her. Everything was over now. For good. He realized that he had blown his chance when she showed up at his house the summer before senior year. He had screwed it all up then. Damn his pride.

She was going to work it out with Jared and marry him, Nathan was sure of that. There would be wedding photos in magazines and tabloids, and he knew that even though he would hate himself for it, he would go purchase some. He would want to see her wedding photos, and how it all went for her. He could only hope that she would find the happiness with Jared that he himself wanted with her.

"Do I want him back?" Haley asked Peyton later as she sat in the hotel room. She hadn't moved since Nathan left. Instead, she called Peyton and Brooke, telling them it was an emergency, and like the true friends they were, they came running. Peyton didn't care that she was getting married in two days. What she cared about was Haley and making sure her friend was okay.

"I don't know, Haley," she told her, looking at Brooke who just shrugged. "This is something that you have to decide."

"How did it feel when he left the room?" Brooke questioned her, hoping to help her friend realize what she really wanted. Brooke knew that Haley really wanted Nathan, but her friend had been so hurt in the past that she was afraid to give it another go. Well that, and she had a fiancé named Jared.

"It…hurt," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "He didn't even look back once."

"Maybe he's just done now," Peyton suggested. "He put his heart on the line and you just shot it down." Haley cringed at her words. "Come on, you know how stubborn and prideful he is. That took a lot in him just to tell you the small things he did."

"On the contrary," Brooke said, holding up her finger, "I don't think that being in love with Haley is a small thing. It's huge, and it's taken him six years to realize it!"

"I didn't mean it was small," Peyton backtracked, playing with one of her curls. "I meant that he only told you one thing, and it took so much in him to tell you that. You know that. You know how hard it is for him to be vulnerable and open up to people."

"I know," Haley said softly. She just didn't know what do anymore. Nathan was seriously wearing his heart on his sleeve for her, and she had just dismissed it like it was nothing. And it was not nothing. Those words were something she had dreamed about for years. She had wanted to hear them, and she used to picture all the different ways she would respond to them. Telling him that she was engaged was not one of the pictures she had in her mind.

"You need to really think about things," Brooke advised, patting her on the knee. "Sooner or later, Hales, Nathan's going to just forget it and go back to California and Alyssa. And if that's what you want, then fine. But if it's not, then you have to tell him…before it's too late for both of you."

A few hours later, Haley was putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. She was going to go to dinner, and she didn't care if Nathan was there or not. She was going to make her friends happy and attend. And she did want to go, even if things could get a bit awkward.

She was spraying some of her perfume when she heard a knock on the door. Quickly, she went to answer it, smoothing her hair out. Why she did that, she really didn't know. If it was Jared or even Nathan on the other side, she wanted to look nice.

She opened the door.

Jared.

"Hey," he said gently, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his blue jeans. "Think we can talk for a minute?"

"Sure," she agreed, holding open the door so he could come in. She walked to the bathroom and unplugged her straightener before joining him. "Where did you go earlier?"

"I got to the airport and booked a flight back home," he admitted to her, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "And then they were boarding, and I couldn't move. I just sat there, wondering what you were doing, and I realized that I needed to come talk to you, and tell you something. Something you needed to know before I got on that plane."

"Go on, then," she urged him, tugging at her black dress. She was feeling really nervous all of the sudden, wondering what he was going to tell her.

"What you did was really shitty, Haley," he informed her. "We're engaged, but it seems like everything between us is a lie - "

"Jared." She held up her hand. "If this is just about insulting me and making me feel worse, you can save it. I've beat myself up all day for how all of this came out."

"Let me finish then," he said, a gentle smile coming across his lips. "I know that a lot of things happened to you that I don't know about, and obviously you don't know everything about me, but…I don't care, Haley. What I realized is that I don't care. I'm in love with you…no matter what happened in your past. What matters is the future, and I still see mine with you."

She took a deep breath. Wow. That was definitely not what she was expecting to hear from him. She expected him to yell at her, tell her that she'd ruined everything. She expected him to ask for the ring back, and to tell her to never contact him again. But he didn't. He told her that he was still in love with her, and wanted a future with her…despite the lies.

"Jared," she started, "I love you. You know that, but…I just don't know what I'm doing anymore. In California, I thought I was happy, but I came down here, and I realized that I really wasn't."

He stood up. He wasn't going to sit here and listen to her proclaim her love for another guy. A guy that didn't want her when she came home, so why should he get her now? She was Jared's now. Nathan Scott had a chance, and he blew it.

"This is about Nathan," Jared surmised, his hands on his hips.

"No." She got up, and stood as tall as she could. "This is about me. I feel…fake in California," she admitted. "And I came here, and it doesn't matter what clothes I wear or what I say, or who I'm seen with. I can be myself here, and not worry about anything else."

"Nathan made you realize that," he suspected out loud. "This is all about Nathan, and you just don't want to tell me. You're still in love with him."

"Jared…" She grabbed for his arm, but he pulled away, stung. She stepped back at that, and watched as he moved towards the door. "This isn't about him!" she called out.

He turned around, his gaze fixed icily upon her. "I'm done," he said simply, and with that, he walked out.

Dinner that night was awful. It was tense and awkward and just about any other adjective that could be used to describe a sucky dinner. It should have been a happy one, considering what they were all gathered for. The wedding of Peyton and Jake.

Peyton and Brooke were doing their best to resolve the situation, but their attempts were failing. Lucas and Jake were looking like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Haley was pouting about Jared…and Nathan too. Nathan was pissed at Haley that he had finally put himself out there, and she shot him down.

"You know," Haley said after the silence that seemed to go on for hours, "I think I need to go home. To California, I mean."

"What?" Brooke looked up from her salad. "Why?"

"I have caused so many problems by coming back here," she explained, gesturing towards Nathan, who had yet to look at her that night. "I think it's just best if I get going before anyone else gets hurt."

"Haley, no," Peyton said firmly. "Jake and I knew that there would be some…drama when you came back here. We knew how things were, and you know what? We don't care. We want you here. You're our friend, and you watched our relationship grow, and you deserve to be in this wedding with all of us."

"It's true, Haley," Jake agreed. "No matter what has happened in the past or is going to happen, you belong here. You belong in this group. Whether you want to believe it or not."

"Really," Lucas jumped in. "Things suck without you, Hales. No one plays mini golf with me."

She laughed. "All you have to do is ask someone else, Lucas. You don't need me anymore. You haven't needed me in a long time."

"Yeah," Peyton scoffed, setting down her glass of wine. "That's why I call you and text you every single day. That's why Jenny calls you her 'Aunt Haley,' and that's why Brooke and Luke go out to visit you occasionally," she listed off the reasons in sarcasm. "We all need you, Haley."

"You made mistakes," Brooke said. "So what? We've all made them, but you know what? No one is judging you here, Hales. Everyone knows what you've been through, and we don't care. We'll sit here and hold your hand and tell you it's okay if that's what you need. But we're not letting you leave…because you're what _we _need."

She smiled at all of her friends and wiped the tear that had escaped down her cheek. Those were some of the sweetest words she had ever heard in her life, and her friends had done it. They had convinced her to stay, and to be honest, she would have regretted leaving. She'd been waiting a long time to see this wedding happen.

"I really didn't want to go home!" she admitted, sobbing a little.

They all laughed a little and gave her smiles. "You're our friend," Lucas announced, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't forget that."

"Thank you guys," she whispered, smiling gratefully at Brooke when she handed her a tissue.

"Well, well," a deep voice slurred. "Isn't this cozy?"

"Jared," Haley whispered, her mouth dropping open as he stepped closer to their table.

Nathan's fists clenched on the table as he saw the guy who was supposed to marry Haley. It really pissed him off that he had the nerve to come to Tree Hill. And it pissed him off even more that the guy had punched him when he had done nothing wrong.

"Having fun, sweetie?" he spit out venomously, obviously drunk. "I know you are, because look who's at the table with you! It's Nathan fucking Scott!"

"Jared." Lucas shook his head and stood up. "I think it's probably best if you take off, man. This isn't your dinner, and these aren't your friends."

Jared laughed in his face. "That's my girlfriend." He pointed to Haley, who looked down. She didn't want to deal with him right now, and he had dumped her. Why was he acting like a jackass when he was the one who said he was done?

"Right," Nathan scoffed, standing up with his brother. "You should probably think about turning around and heading out that exit door. Then tomorrow when your head is pounding because you got drunk, you can wonder what you said and did to make Haley break up with you."

"Nathan," Haley whispered his name softly, and tugged on his hand. "Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"No, Haley!" He wrenched out of her grasp. "It's not fine. You don't belong with this joke! Look at him! He gets mad that you have a past, so he heads to the bar! Come on!"

"Nathan." Lucas reached over and tried to push his brother back down, but Nathan wouldn't budge. "Jake, help me out here, man."

"Nathan." Jake stood up, grabbing Nathan's arm. "Let's go outside and take a breather, alright? Haley's got this."

"No she doesn't!" Nathan pulled free of Jake's grip, like he had done when Haley had a hold of him. "Look at her, Jake! She can't even look at the guy! She doesn't have this!"

Haley hung her head in her hands, ashamed that it had all spun out of control. She had no idea that by keeping her past a secret that all of these problems would form. Now Nathan was itching for a fight, and Jared was drunk. All she wanted to do was run to the hotel room, find Mr. Waffles, and hold him tightly while tears spilled out of her eyes.

"This is all about you, Nathan," Jared snarled, his eyes full of fury. "That fucking tattoo on her back? It's all for you. The reason she's been putting off the wedding? It's you! It's you, isn't it? It's always been you!"

"Get out of here," Brooke ordered him, pointing towards the door. "You are making a scene, and no one wants you here. In fact, no one even wants you in this town. Not even Haley."

Jared swayed on his feet a little, and Haley wondered if he was going to pass out from all the alcohol he had consumed. He looked like he had quite a bit. She stood up and grabbed her purse. "I'll take him back to the hotel," she said. She'd had enough. She wasn't going to let him insult her and everyone else and cause a scene. Not here, not now.

"Don't do him any favors," Nathan muttered, finally looking at her. "Why don't you just dump his ass already?"

"Because he dumped mine!" she screamed at him, making everyone in the restaurant look at their table. They had quite a few spectators before, but now it was every single person there. "He told me he was done when I told him that I wasn't happy in California, alright? You satisfied, Nathan?!"

He gaped at her and slowly slid back down in his chair. He didn't know what to think now. Haley was single, but it wasn't her choice. He clamped his mouth shut, and just decided to let everyone handle it. He'd done enough. He could tell she was completely embarrassed that she had admitted that so loudly to him. And she was probably embarrassed that the whole breaking up thing had happened too.

"Get him out of here," Peyton said to Haley. "Get him out of here, and you come back. You are welcome. He is not."

"Peyton…"

"No, Hales, I mean it," she said firmly, and Jake nodded. "Come back. We want you here, and if they kick us out of the restaurant, I don't care. We'll go back to our house. You're not going to be alone with that jackass."

"Peyton's jumping to your defense!" Jared exclaimed. "And someone ought to! After all, Nathan's sitting down. He obviously couldn't do anything for you," he slurred in her ear, and she turned around to glare at him. Before she could say anything, Lucas was punching Jared in his face. Jared fell to the ground, holding his nose.

It was definitely the dinner from Hell.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all for your continued reading and responses to this story. The fact that you guys actually take your own time to read it and let me know what you think about it really makes me want to get the updates out to you faster. Now, that really doesn't happen, but it does make me want to. lol. All I ask in this story is be patient. Nathan and Haley will find the people they used to be again, and they realize what they truly want in life. Thanks again!**

**-Lindsay**

Nathan gave his brother a slight smile. Hell, it wasn't even a smile, but it was all he could muster after last night's events. Haley had cried when Lucas punched Jared, but she explained it wasn't because he was hurt, but because he had hurt her friends with his drunkenness. Jake dragged him to his room at the Covington, asking the concierge if he would try to keep him away from Haley. The man had agreed, but he didn't need to worry about it, seeing as how Haley had stayed the night with Lucas and Brooke.

She had told them that she didn't want to be alone after everything, and they couldn't blame her. She was kissed by her former husband, then dumped by her fiancé, and then he had showed up drunk to a friendly dinner. Plus, she didn't want Jared showing up at her door for another confrontation. She wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Nathan had done a lot of thinking after he got back to his hotel room. At first, all he could think was how he wanted to go punch Jared like Lucas had. After all, he made Haley cry, and it pissed him off. But then he realized that would be pretty wrong. It looked like the guy had a broken nose anyway.

After he had calmed down, his mind wandered to Haley. He wanted her back. Oh, God, how he wanted her back. But he wasn't going to push her. She had just been through hell, and he didn't want to add to that and pressure her. If she didn't want him back, fine. He wasn't going to keep trying. He didn't want to confuse her after everything that had gone down in one day.

He kept seeing how distraught she looked at dinner in his mind. All he had wanted to do was hold her, and whisper in her ear that everything was going to work out. She would end up with a good person in the end, even if it wasn't him. But he couldn't, and he suspected she didn't really want him to.

"How was your night?" Lucas asked as Nathan got in his car.

"Long," he answered, yawning. "I just kept thinking about everything."

"Me too," his brother answered, easing the car onto the road. "Brooke and Haley were up all night talking, and it just kept me awake thinking about Hales."

"She's okay, right?" he asked, slightly alarmed. He didn't want anything else to happen to Haley. She had already been through so much in her short time on Earth, and he had a lot to do with that.

"She's fine," he replied. "She's really upset, but she told us this morning at breakfast that she's not going to dwell on it. She said that she did what she did, and it's done. She doesn't want us to pity her or anything. She just wants to forget it, and focus on getting Jake and Peyton married."

"That's pretty big of her," Nathan observed, waving when he saw Tim Smith, an old friend from high school outside by Karen's Café. "I couldn't handle it all like she is, Luke. I'd snap."

"She was pretty close, I'm sure," he said. "But Haley's a strong girl. She's been through so much, and I think talking it out with Brooke really helped. I don't really understand a lot of what she's going through, because it's girl stuff, you know? So I'm glad that Brooke was around for her."

"Yeah," he agreed. "She's a great girl, Luke. You lucked out."

"I know. That's why you and I are going to look at engagement rings right now."

"What?" Nathan's face broke out into a huge smile. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope," he denied, shaking his head. "I've done a lot of thinking about this, and I've talked to Hales…I'm ready to do this. I want her to be my wife, and I'm done debating it. I'm doing it, Nate."

Nathan clapped his brother on the back. "Good for you, Lucas. One of us needs to find some longtime happiness, you know?"

His brother nodded and looked over at him. "Have you talked to Alyssa today?"

"No," he replied, rubbing his tired eyes. "But once I get home, I have to end it, Lucas. It's not fair for me to be with her when I feel the way I do about Haley."

"Good for you," Lucas said, parking the car across the street from a jewelry store. "I think you've known for a while that she wasn't the girl for you, and seeing Hales really confirmed that."

"Maybe," he allowed, opening his door.

The two brothers headed across the street to the store. The bell on the door chimed as they entered, and Nathan was pleasantly surprised to see his mother talking with one of the saleswomen. "Mom," he said, and she turned around, a big smile on her face.

"Nathan!" she squealed, giving him a hug. "I knew you were home, but I didn't want to call because I knew you were doing wedding things with Jake! How are you, honey?"

"I'm - "

"Oh my God!" she interrupted, seeing the bruise on his jaw. "Nathan, what happened to you?!" She touched it gingerly and he winced. It was pretty tender, as much as he hated to admit that.

"Run in with Haley's fiancé," Lucas explained, giving Deb a quick hug.

"Really?" Deb's eyebrows rose and she looked between the two boys for confirmation. When they didn't say anything and their faces remained serious, she knew Lucas was telling the truth. Huh. So her little boy finally realized that he belonged with Haley James. "Are you and Haley close these days, Nathan?" she inquired.

She didn't talk to Nathan much anymore because he was so busy with his own life. He was constantly doing something for basketball or going to some celebrity event. But she knew how her son felt about Haley. She'd always known, even when he didn't.

"We, uh, we worked a lot out," he answered her, shrugging. "But he punched me because he found out we were married once. She'd never told him that."

"Oh." Deb frowned. "Well, it's a shame that you got hit for something Haley did, but…don't let that stop you from going after what you want." She winked at him.

"What?" he asked, confused. He looked at Lucas, and Lucas just smirked at him.

"Honey, I know you think I don't know what goes on in that head of yours, but I know how you feel about Haley…how you've always felt about Haley. Don't let her get away from you again, whether she's engaged or not."

She kissed her son's cheek and skipped out the door but not before yelling at him to come by before he left town, and to call his mother more. Nathan turned to his brother, completely baffled. His mother had just gotten more…unique as the years went on.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, laughing a little bit. She was like a tornado. In and out in the blink of an eye.

"She knows how you feel about Haley, I guess." Lucas shrugged. "She thinks you need to go after her before it's too late."

"How do you get that?" he asked, his jaw hanging open a little.

"I live in Tree Hill, Nate," Lucas reminded him. "I see her a lot."

"True." He nodded. "So, big brother, what are you thinking about for a ring?"

"I would love to get her a huge ring, you know?" Nathan nodded. "But I am living on a teacher's salary, Nathan. She's definitely not going to get the big ring she deserves."

"I could help you out, Luke," he offered. "I mean, if you know what ring you want to get her, you could pay me in installments or something. She deserves to have the best."

Lucas thought it over. His brother was definitely right. His girl deserved the best. She had put up with a lot from him over the years, and the fact that she still wanted to be with him said a lot about her character.

He was slightly ashamed that he didn't make that much money as a teacher, but he loved what he did, so it didn't really matter. And he and Brooke were always taken care of, and that was what mattered. He wanted to give Brooke a big ring, and so he decided to take his brother up on his offer.

While Lucas shopped for the perfect ring, Nathan stepped outside and sat on a bench. He just wanted to think for a little bit, and he couldn't with Lucas tapping his shoulder every thirty seconds asking what he thought of a certain ring. When Nathan had proposed to Haley, he didn't have that problem. He had about a hundred dollars in his bank account at the time, so she never got an engagement ring. He regretted that now…Haley had deserved one.

"Hey."

The soft voice had him turning towards it, and he smiled when he saw Haley. Her eyes were slightly puffy and her long blonde hair was swept up into a haphazard ponytail, but she still looked beautiful.

"Haley, hi." He scooted over on the bench to make room for her. "How are you?" he inquired once she was sitting down.

"I'm…hanging in there," she answered, chuckling to herself. Studying his face, she gasped a little. "Nathan, I didn't notice how horrible that bruise was!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry that happened!"

"It's done and over with," he said. He wanted to just reach over and wrap his arm around her and tell her that it was all okay. But he knew he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't do that, and that she wouldn't want him to.

"But in the pictures from the wedding, you'll have a huge bruise!" she objected, shaking her head. "Hey, I could put some makeup on it for you."

He laughed. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"You sure?" She nudged him with her elbow. "I'm sure it'd look pretty good. We could put some blush on you after we cover that up."

"Um, Haley?" He shook his head playfully. "No."

She smiled at him and the two of them sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each others' company. She squinted when she saw a familiar person behind him, and he turned to see who it was. Groaning, he got up to face Jared.

"Dude, stay the hell away from her, alright?" he warned him, his arm going out to block Haley from him. She smiled up gratefully at him. She didn't want to deal with Jared. Not ever again.

"I just want to apologize," he said, trying to get around Nathan.

"She doesn't want it," Nathan argued. "She's done with you, and you need to accept that. You opened her eyes to the person you really are, and she wants no part of you."

"Oh, but she wants a part of you?" he scoffed. "Right. Pretty soon, she'll realize that she doesn't want you either."

"We're not even together, man," Nathan defended.

Haley stood up behind him. "I told you that this has nothing to do with Nathan, Jared, and everything to do with me. My life is a lie in California, and I'm not happy there anymore."

"But you just happened to realize that when you shacked up in a hotel room with your old husband?" He shook his head. "You are unbelievable, Haley. Really."

"Me?" she scoffed. "Jared, you got drunk because you couldn't handle the truth! You punched Nathan when he did absolutely nothing to you! You came up and ruined a dinner with my friends, and that was really insulting and embarrassing, by the way!" She could feel her voice rising. "My friends were nothing but kind to you when I introduced you to them! They liked you, and even Nathan was nice to you! And you threw it back in everyone's faces! Why you're still here, I'll never know."

Jared nodded, realizing it was time to leave. He had tried to make Haley see he was still in love with her, and he had tried to hurt her when he learned she didn't want to return to her home. When he realized how much he had hurt her, he wanted to apologize, and that was honestly why he was there now. But if she didn't want to listen, he wasn't going to try it.

"Fine," he conceded, taking a step back. "But I am sorry for everything…even though none of this is my fault." He gave her one last look before turning around and walking out of her life for what she could only hope was forever.

There had been a time when she loved Jared, and she knew that. But after everything that had happened, she saw who he really was, and she understood that she shouldn't have agreed to marry him. She wasn't ready. Her heart wasn't ready because it was still with Nathan. That wasn't fair to Jared, but it wasn't fair of him to pressure her to plan their wedding when he knew she wasn't ready for it.

She was done with Jared, and she was going to move on with her life. He had hurt her, and that was that. She wasn't going to dwell on it anymore. She would return to California and return whatever belonged to him, including the ring he had given her, and then with any luck, her record label would let her return to Tree Hill.

That was what she wanted, after all.

She wanted a real home again. A home where she didn't have to lie and pretend to be someone she wasn't. She wanted to start over with the people who loved her.

"You okay?" Nathan questioned after they had both dropped back down on the bench.

She nodded, watching Jared's retreating figure. "I was wrong about him, Nathan. Obviously he can't handle what happened between us, and I can't be with him when I know how he gets…the jealousy, the drinking…the violence."

"You know, it's not all your fault, Hales," he said, contradicting everything Jared had just said. "Yeah, you lied, but he could have handled all of it so much better."

She turned to him. "Thank you for being so understanding about all this. You don't have to be, especially when he hit you and insulted you."

"Well, things got really out of hand." He shrugged his shoulders. "But that's not your fault. He has a temper, and he screwed things up for himself."

"I know," she agreed. "You know, you have a temper too," she reminded him, a light smile on her face.

"But I never hit anyone for being married to you once," he pointed out, smiling back at her. "Then again, we got married when we were juniors, so I certainly hope you weren't married before me!"

She laughed at him, just comfortable being near him like friends. Of course, the whole friend thing wore thin with them pretty quickly, but maybe for now, she could handle that. She couldn't handle another relationship, that was for sure. She'd messed up the last one horribly. "Can't say that I was," she replied, looking across the street. "So, uh, what are you doing out here?"

"Don't tell Brooke, but…Luke's finally ready to take the plunge," he divulged to her. "He's picking out her ring right now."

"No shit?" She grinned widely at him, clapping her hands in delight.

"No shit," he repeated, a little surprised. Haley was never a big curser. "I came out here because I wanted to think, and I couldn't do that with your best friend asking me about every ring he saw."

She laughed. "I knew he was going to propose, but I didn't realize he was going to pick out the ring already! Oh my gosh!" She jumped up excitedly. "I am going to go in there and see if I can help him. You know, I'm probably better at picking out a woman's ring than a man is!" She gave him one last smile. "See you later!"

"Later," he mumbled to her backside as he turned around to watch her scurry inside the store. She was completely excited. He loved when she got excited like that. She was so perky and bubbly, and it had always made him smile.

She swung open the door to the jewelry store, smiling when she saw Lucas bent over the counter. Sauntering over to him, she waited until he saw her. Once he did, she opened her mouth. "So, you're really going to do this, huh?"

"I really am," he replied. He pulled her in for a tight hug. He was so glad his best friend was going to be around to celebrate his engagement with him. Or at least help get him ready for it. He could really use her help.

She nodded, glancing around at all the rings. She figured being in there would make her think of Jared, and how they had been engaged, but it didn't. All she could think of was Nathan, and how the two of them never even had an engagement. It was a quick wedding. She'd never gotten to wear an engagement ring that Nathan gave her, and that kind of stung a little bit.

"Good." She leaned over to where he was looking. "Oh, Lucas, these are so beautiful."

He watched as his friend marveled at the rings in the store. A part of him wondered if she would ever find happiness again; if she would ever get engaged again. And that part of him also wondered if his younger brother would be the one to give her that happiness. She deserved it, and so did he. The two of them belonged together…if they would clean up their acts.

"Hales, should we talk about Nathan? I mean, do we need to?"

She turned to look at him, shrugging her shoulders. "Honestly, I have no idea," she responded. Her eyes were full of confusion, and it made Lucas's heart ache a little for her. "I know how he feels about me, and I know that I have feelings for him too…but things just ended with Jared. I came back here, and everything changed. Everything I thought I knew is different now, and I can't deal with Nathan wanting me back right now."

"You don't have to get back with him if you don't want," he said gently. "I think you need to do what you want to do, but he's in love with you, Haley."

She smiled sadly. "And a part of me is in love with him. I won't lie about that. And besides, you know me. You know how I feel about him. You always have…even when I haven't. I think I've been waiting for those words for a long time, and when I actually heard them, I realized that."

"So what are you going to do about it?" he questioned, leaning back against the glass counter. "Peyton and Jake are getting married tomorrow. And after that, you and Nathan are going your separate ways. And if you don't want to, then you need to tell him. Before it's too late."

"Lucas, I can't handle all this change right now!" she blew out, exasperated. "So much has happened these past few days, and I can't deal with it all. I need to just take time out when I get back to California and figure things out. Then I'll come back here. I'm ready to move back."

"You're being a chicken shit," Lucas accused her, crossing his arms. "You're afraid of loving Nathan and taking another chance on him because of what happened the last time."

"You're damn right I'm afraid!" she nearly yelled at him. "He broke my heart, Luke, and I'm sorry but I'm not going through that again! Now I know that he loves me, and I love him too, but I need time to myself, alright? Maybe one day I won't be so chicken but for now…for now, I just need to be on my own. I need to learn to be okay on my own."

"And just forget about Nathan?"

"I will never forget about Nathan," she assured him. "But I can't get back with him right now, okay?"

"Fine." He held up his hands in surrender. He wasn't going to push her for something she wasn't ready for. But the thing was, he knew she wanted it. Whether she was ready for it or not. If she wanted to hide out though, and run from love, who was he to stop her?

Haley walked away from him, needing to be alone. She knew that she loved Nathan. She really did. She had never been able to turn that off, even when she thought she had. Seeing Nathan made her realize just how deeply she still loved him, but for the time being, she was going to be by herself. She wasn't ready for another relationship, even if it wasn't with someone who was probably, most likely her soul mate.

She couldn't put her heart on the line again. Not for Nathan, and not for anyone. She had been burned too many times now, and she wasn't willing to go through that again.


	12. Chapter 12

**I suck. I really, truly suck. I haven't updated this in forever, and I am so sorry. I hadn't forgotten about it. I seriously thought of it a lot in the past few months and kept telling myself to get on here and update it, but i never had the time. So, like I said, I suck! I hope this update will make me not suck as much..haha. Enjoy it. I'll get the next one out quicker if you're still reading! :)**

**-Lindsay**

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The rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner the night before had been slightly tense for everyone. Everyone knew what was going on with Nathan and Haley, but they all felt powerless to do something about it. Mainly because they knew Haley was being stubborn, and there really was no one who could change Haley's mind. She'd always been like that. It was her way or no way.

Nathan spent the whole evening wishing there was something he could do about Haley, and Haley spent the whole evening wishing she could go back and change something. She wanted to change anything to make her feel happy and whole again. Because at that point, she really didn't. She was upset with herself, and the way things in her life were going.

Peyton and Jake had tried to make things more bearable, but everyone could tell they felt bad because of the way things had turned out. All they had wanted was a nice wedding, and a nice few days before the wedding with no arguing and no drama. They should have known that wasn't going to happen. Nathan Scott and Haley James were a part of their wedding, for crying out loud! Drama followed the two of them when they were in the same proximity.

Now Nathan was trying to get ready at Jake's house with Lucas and Jake. But he couldn't stop thinking about Haley. He wished he could change things too.

"Nate, stop thinking about it," Jake urged him, slipping on his tuxedo jacket. "There's nothing you can do if Haley doesn't want to try again."

"It just sucks," Nathan blew out, dropping onto the couch behind him. "I shouldn't have been so stupid back then. I just should have forgotten it all and forgiven her. Then I wouldn't be stuck in a relationship with a girl I don't love, wishing I was back with Haley, and Haley wouldn't have been in a relationship with an asshole, and she wouldn't be hurting now."

"Hindsight's always twenty-twenty," Lucas jumped in. He was standing at the mirror in the living room, attempting to gel his hair. It wasn't really working though. Normally Brooke helped him out when he was putting gel in it. He wasn't good at styling his hair. At all.

"I would give anything to change the past, Luke."

"I know," his brother agreed, sighing when his hair wouldn't sit the way he wanted it to. Jake laughed at him a little. "But there isn't anything you can do. It's done and over with, and if you and Haley are supposed to get back together one day, you will."

"I want her now!" Nathan practically whined. He let his head fall back against the couch. He did not feel like going to a wedding today, let alone being a part of one. All he wanted to do was go back to the summer before senior year, and tell Haley that he did love her, and that they could go back to how they used to be.

"Too bad," Jake said softly. He went to sit beside his friend, wishing there was something he could do for him. "Now isn't a good time for her, and you need to respect that."

"Jake's right," Lucas said. He threw his hands in the air, fed up with his hair. He'd have Brooke fix it before the wedding. He was sure to see her. Coming to sit in the chair diagonal from his brother, he spoke again. "She's been through a lot with Jared, and she went through a lot with you too. It's no wonder she doesn't want to try again with someone."

"And she and Jared just broke up like two days ago," Jake supplied. "She was engaged to him, Nathan. It wasn't one of those silly little things like you and Peyton had back in high school." Nathan shuddered at that, causing Jake to laugh. "This was real. This was almost forever."

"Haley and I almost had forever too," Nathan objected. "And what we had was real. Not some crock of shit like the two of them had. Everything was a lie."

"And everything wasn't a lie with you and her?"

"No, it wasn't," he denied. "What Haley and I had was real, and it was…it was just…right. You know what I mean? You have a girl and everything is just right?" Lucas and Jake both nodded. "That's what it was for me and Haley. It was right."

"Well if that's the way you feel, then talk to her again," Jake suggested, shrugging. "Talk to her, and make her see what you see."

Nathan scoffed. "Easier said than done."

---

Peyton stood in front of the full length mirror, smiling as Haley and Brooke buttoned her dress in the back. She was actually getting married today. To Jake Jagielski. She was kind of surprised that this day was actually here because of everything they had been through…but she was thrilled all the same. They had made it, and they were going to get their happy ending.

She couldn't help but notice that Haley seemed a little troubled. And she had good right to be. Peyton would probably look a little troubled herself if she had been through what Haley had been through the past few days.

There was one thing that was different with her and Haley though. If Peyton knew she loved someone, she wasn't going to wait to get back with them just because another relationship had just ended. She would have gotten back with Nathan as soon as she knew he loved her back, and she would love him with everything she had. Life was too short not to.

"Hales?" She turned to face her friend once Haley and Brooke stood up. "Are you alright? You look pretty…disturbed."

"Disturbed?" Haley blinked at her friend a few times. "Thank you, Peyton. You make me feel like I belong in a mental institution or something."

Brooke and Peyton laughed. "I think what P. Sawyer means is that you look like ten thousand miles away. You're like out of it or something. Thinking about Nathan?"

"A little," she admitted, sighing. "I don't know, you guys. I just can't risk anything with Nathan right now. He broke my heart once before, and I don't want to deal with that again. I can't. It hurt too bad the last time it happened."

"It might not happen this time," Peyton pointed out to her, smoothing her flowing white dress down. "You are both so much more mature and different, and Nathan obviously knows what he wants…you."

Haley smiled a little. "Maybe so, but I'm not ready for Nathan right now. I'm not ready for anyone. I want to just go back to California, get things together, and come back here. I miss it here, and I'm ready to come back."

"We know," Brooke told her. "But maybe if you and Nathan hooked back up, you could stay in California with him and be happy. Or you could move here with him during the off season…I don't know. You guys could make it work if you really love each other. And I know you do."

"We aren't together!" Haley reminded her loudly. "We aren't together, and I'm not going to sit here and worry about how Nathan and I will make it work when there is nothing to make work! It's done and over with, and I don't want to start it back up."

"Even though you love him?" Peyton asked her gently, looking her firmly in her deep brown eyes.

Haley nodded, her eyes welling up a little. "I do love him. I just don't want to get hurt again, and I'm not going to put myself in the position where that might happen."

"Okay, you know what?" Peyton took Haley by the shoulders and forced her to sit down in a chair, ignoring the questioning look on Brooke's face. "I understand how much Nathan hurt you before, okay? I do. It hurt him too. I remember how horrible he was when you were gone, and that was because he missed you, but Haley…don't let him miss you anymore. Don't let yourself miss him anymore. Love him with everything you have, even though there are risks involved. Because life is just way too short to not be happy with the person you love."

"Peyton.."

"No." She held up her newly manicured hand. A girl's hands have to look pretty for a wedding. It's like a rule. "I don't want you to wake up one day with regret…wondering what you and Nathan would have been like if you'd gotten back together."

"I agree," Brooke said, tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. "I know you think about the what-ifs now, but they're going to be so much worse if you walk away from Nathan now."

A tear finally slipped down Haley's cheek, and she groaned a little. She'd just perfected that makeup she was wearing too. Shoot. "My life lately is all about the what-ifs. I don't think any more of them are going to make or break me. They'll just be there. Added to my list."

Brooke and Peyton both shook their heads. They weren't going to get through to her anymore. She was being stubborn, and that wasn't going to stop. They had tried, and it was the best they could do. It was up to Haley now to realize that she and Nathan did belong together, and that maybe getting hurt was a chance she was going to have to take.

Haley stood up. "I feel really bad that we're sitting here discussing my sucky love life when you're about to get married, Peyton! We're supposed to be talking about how we're always going to stay friends even though one of us is getting married or something."

"Are we?" Brooke looked between her friends. "I don't know what to do. I've never had a friend get married before…well, except you, Haley. And we didn't know you were getting married so we couldn't do anything before your wedding."

"Yeah," Peyton agreed. "I think we were like cheering before your wedding, and you were sitting in the stands watching Luke and Nathan."

"You're right," Haley said, smiling at the memories of high school. Those were seriously the best times in her life. She had her friends back then, and she had Nathan. And she missed that. Nothing in her life now compared to what life was like back then. The Grammy award and the celebrity and the popularity didn't compare to the people she knew and loved back then. And still knew and loved today. "So maybe we should talk about how we'll always be friends. That would be what I wanted if I was getting married in like an hour."

"I think you have a good idea there, former Mrs. Scott." Brooke stuck her tongue out at Haley when she rolled her eyes. "So. Let me begin by saying that you two are my best friends in the entire world, and I love you both…and even though Peyton is leaving the single life forever, we will all stay best friends. We'll all call each other practically every single day, and see each other whenever we can…and you know when we all have lots of attractive children, we'll be godmothers!"

"Gosh, it's not like we're all dying," Peyton teased her. "But to add to that, thank you both for being in my wedding, and for being a part of my life. I don't know what I would do without either one of you. Haley, I know we lost you there for a while, but now that you're back, it better not happen again."

"You two couldn't get rid of me if you tried," Haley assured them, smiling. "I don't know how I got by without seeing you every day for six years. I know that I belong in Tree Hill with you guys as my friends, and everything that I've achieved just doesn't seem as important as our friendship. You are both the best, and we're going to stay friends no matter what." She didn't back away when Peyton pulled her and Brooke in for a hug. "I love you guys!"

"I love you guys too," both girls repeated in unison, causing all three of them to laugh a little bit.

"Well, who's ready to get married?" Brooke asked, squealing a little bit. She passed Peyton her veil when Peyton nodded eagerly at her question. Helping her adjust it, she smiled. "I'm so happy for you, P. Sawyer."

"Me too," Haley agreed. "You look so happy, and I know that you're going to stay happy for the rest of your life now that you're marrying Jake. And you deserve it all."

"Damn it you two," Peyton growled good naturedly. "You're going to mess up my makeup." She laughed as she ran her fingers under her eyes, trying to catch the happy tears that were starting to fall.

---

Standing at the church, Haley couldn't help but think back to when she and Nathan got married. Their wedding was nothing like this. This wedding was full of people all wanting to see Jake and Peyton become man and wife. At Nathan's wedding, it was Nathan, her parents, Jimmy and Lydia, the reverend, and herself. And it had been on a beach.

Not that that wasn't beautiful. It just wasn't normal. She would have liked having all these people there to see Nathan and her exchange vows, and promise their lives to each other. She would have liked getting married in a church. The union just seemed more sacred, and…holy that way. If she ever got married again, it would probably be in a church. Or at least in a place where everyone could see it happen.

She was proud to be standing for Peyton. When the wedding march began, Haley stood up straighter, and smiled as her friend walked down the aisle. She was a vision in her white dress. She had never seen her friend look happier, and she was glad about that. Jake was obviously the one person who could keep Peyton happy constantly, and that made her even more glad that they were getting married.

As she looked over at Jake, she could see the tears in his eyes, and it tugged at her heartstrings. He loved her so much, and he was so committed to her. It was beautiful to see.

Peyton reached Jake and passed her bouquet to Brooke, winking at Haley as she did so. Jake took her hand, and gently brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss there. "Ladies and gentlemen," the reverend began, "we are gathered here today to join in marriage two people. Jake Jaglielski and Peyton Sawyer. I believe the two of them have been waiting a long time for this day, so I see no reason to spread the platitudes that you all usually hear at weddings. Instead, at the request of Peyton and Jake, we will begin with the exchanging of the vows."

Peyton and Jake smiled at each other. Lucas and Brooke smiled at each other. Nathan and Haley looked at each other, and both smiled as well. Brooke noticed that, and took it as a sign that they definitely should be together. If she could just get her stubborn friend to see that!

"Peyton, repeat after me," the reverend said, offering a smile to the soon to be Mrs. Jagielski. "I, Peyton, take you, Jake, to be my lawfully wedded husband…"

---

Jake came up to Nathan, who was sitting at his table alone. He was watching Haley laugh with Brooke and Lucas, and a part of him really wanted to be that person making her laugh. It should have been him instead of his brother and his brother's girlfriend. It should have been him all along.

"Hey," Jake greeted, clapping Nathan on the back.

Nathan smiled at him. "Hey, congratulations," Nathan offered, shaking his hand. "You two are really going to have a good life together."

Jake smiled back. "We've already had a great life together. This is just adding to it."

"Well, whatever it is, it's going to be great."

"Thanks, Nathan." Jake looked over to where Haley was standing. "You talk to her yet?"

"No." Nathan shook his head and looked back at his friend. "And speaking of her, you married her friend a little bit ago. Why aren't you dancing it up or having sex in the coat closet or something?"

Jake laughed. "First of all, her dress was too expensive to rip off to have sex in said coat closet, as much as I'd like to, and second of all, she's talking to her dad. We saw you over here, and I wanted to come see how you were doing."

"How do you think?" Nathan scoffed, and Jake looked away uncomfortably. "It's just…I don't know. I want to be with her so badly, but I can't tell her that. Not right now. And my flight leaves in the morning. I doubt I'll see her tomorrow, so I'm going to have to tell her goodbye tonight, and there's just so much I want to say…but I don't think I can say it."

"You're going to have to put yourself out there if you want another chance with her," Jake said. "I know it's going to be hard, and I know you already laid it all out on the line before, but do it one more time. This will probably be your last chance, so you should probably make it count for something."

Nathan nodded. "I know. You're right. I just need to work up the courage to talk to her and tell her goodbye…and that I love her. I'm in love with her."

"She knows," Jake told him, standing up. "You just have to convince her that it's forever this time…that you're not going anywhere."

"Thank you," Nathan said, standing up alongside him. "You've been a great friend."

"Well so are you, Nate. Now go get your girl…make her see that it's real."

"Yeah." Nathan smiled. "You go get yours!"

After Jake walked away, he stood there for a few more minutes, just watching Haley. Everything about her was beautiful. The way she smiled, the way she moved, the way her laugh sounded when Brooke made fun of Lucas in front of him…it was all beautiful. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair was down and curly, and all he wanted to do was go up to her, tell her he was in love with her (again), and kiss her senseless.

But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to do that. All he could do now was tell her goodbye, and make her see that he wanted her forever, and wait on her to figure out what she wanted. The ball was in her court now, and he was nervous to see where she was going to go with that. He didn't want her to walk away from him. Not again.

He took a deep breath, and walked over to their little group. As soon as he reached them, the butterflies filled his stomach. He almost turned around and walked back to the empty table he'd been occupying, but when Brooke greeted him, he couldn't.

"Nathan!" she squealed. "You were looking handsome up there…not quite as handsome as Lucas over here, but you could definitely see those Scott good looks shining through."

He smiled politely. "Thanks, Brooke. You were looking very pretty up there yourself." He looked at his brother. "Really, Luke, how'd you swing a pretty girl like Brooke? You never had much game," he teased.

"Bite me," Lucas muttered, causing the three others to laugh. "Brooke and I are going to go dance so I don't have to be insulted by you anymore." He pulled on Brooke's arm and led them away, and she waved her goodbyes at Nathan and Haley.

"Hi," she said softly. "It was a nice wedding, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed, looking at the dance floor where her eyes currently were. "You, um, you looked beautiful in the church, Haley. You still look beautiful." He said it almost shyly, and she could tell he was nervous about talking to her…and that was weird. He was Nathan Scott, former king of Tree Hill High. He never got nervous around girls.

Oh, but Haley didn't understand the situation. He did get nervous around her…because she wasn't just any girl. She was THE girl.

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling up at him. "You look nice too, Nathan. Really."

"I always look nice," he teased cockily. An uncomfortable silence filled the air after she laughed, and he cleared his throat. "Um…would you like to dance with me?"

"Oh, Nathan.." She shrugged. "I don't know. I - "

"Please," he broke in. "Just one dance, Hales. Please?"

"Alright," she gave in, taking his hand when he offered it to her. "Just one dance."

He led her onto the dance floor, smiling at how happy and comfortable she looked once they got out there. He smiled at Jake, who had Peyton wrapped in his arms, and Jake nodded at him. He placed his arms around Haley's waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They fit perfectly together. Even after all these years, that hadn't changed.

The song playing was an old one by Paolo Nutini, but the lyrics seemed appropriate to the relationship the two of them had. Haley couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation. As soon as they got out on the floor, a song that was basically about them was playing, and it really wasn't wedding appropriate. But Peyton had always loved that song, she remembered, and this was Peyton's wedding. Surely she would get the music she liked.

_Slow down, lie down, remember it's just you and me_

_Don't sell out, bow out, remember how this used to be_

_I just want you closer is that alright, baby let's get closer tonight_

_Grant my last request and just let me hold you_

_Don't shrug your shoulders, lay down beside me_

_Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere_

_But one last time let's go there, lay down beside me_

"I love this song," Haley breathed out, closing her eyes as they swayed to the flow of the song. "It's weird that it's playing at a wedding, but Peyton's always liked it too…so I guess it's good they're playing it."

He chuckled. "It is her wedding. She should get music that she wants."

Haley opened her brown eyes, and looked into his blue ones. "Yeah, I agree. Besides, look at how happy they are." She nodded at them, and Nathan spun a little so he could see them. They were just completely glued to each other, and no one was going to tear them apart. Not from their dance, and not from each other.

_Now I've found, that I'm bound, to wander down that one-way road_

_And I realize all about your lies, but I'm no wiser than the fool that I was before_

_I just want you closer, is that alright, baby let's get closer tonight_

_Grant my last request and just let me hold you_

_Don't shrug your shoulders, lay down beside me_

_Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere_

_But one last time let's go there, lay down beside me_

"You know," Nathan mused, pulling her just a little bit tighter. "I didn't think I would ever hold you like this again."

"Nathan, don't," she said quietly. "I can't hear this right now."

"No, you need to," he argued. "I know you can't make up your mind about what you want, but I want you to just let me keep you in my arms a few more minutes…the way I'm holding you? It's right, Haley. It was right six years ago, and it's right now. I want to be with you again."

"Nathan, please," she begged him, her eyes welling up. "This is so hard to hear. Everything is all turned upside down right now, and I can't be with you, okay?"

"Fine," he obliged her, sighing. "Just let me hold you a few more minutes. Please? I missed this, Haley. I missed you."

She nodded. "I missed you too," she whispered finally, letting her head fall against his chest. His heart was beating so quickly, and in her own heart, she knew it was beating for her.

_Baby, baby, baby, tell me how can, how can this be wrong?_

_Grant my last request and just let me hold you_

_Don't shrug your shoulders, lay down beside me_

_Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere_

_But one last time let's go there, lay down beside me_

_One last time let's go there, lay down beside me_


	13. Chapter 13

**I bet all of you are completely shocked that I updated this so quickly again. But anyway, I did! So I hope you enjoy this!! :) this is probably a chapter that might make some of you pretty happy. :)**

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The song ended, and Haley broke away from Nathan. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked away, leaving him standing there. She had to get away for a few minutes. She had to gather her thoughts and just be alone. She needed alone time.

Being in Nathan's arms did feel right. But could she really allow herself to go there again? Could she really completely and totally fall into him again, and risk being hurt? She knew Nathan didn't want to hurt her, but it didn't mean he wouldn't. She pushed open the door of the reception hall, and dropped down on the steps.

The song had nearly caused her to break down right there in front of everyone. The words were beautiful, and it showcased everything that Nathan was telling her. Even if she didn't want to be with him, he just wanted to hold her, and that made her heart soar and ache all at the same time. He was going to settle for just holding her because she couldn't commit to him, and he was okay with that. It was so sweet of him, and it really touched her. He was letting her have her space, and she really appreciated that.

At the same time though, she was questioning if she really did need that space. She was at the point in her life where she wanted to settle down, and get married, and have a family. She was planning on that with Jared, but that fell through, and now her plans were up in the air. She was ready to be with someone again, and be their wife, but she didn't know if it was too soon. Oh, who was she kidding? It was too soon. Her engagement had just ended!

The door opened behind her, and she didn't have to turn around to know that it was Nathan. "Is this spot taken?" he asked her, pointing beside her. She shook her head, and he took it. "Haley, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Oh, Nathan, no," she said. "You didn't. I'm just confused about everything."

"Everything meaning me?" he inquired, turning to face her.

She shrugged slightly. "Maybe a little bit of you. I know you're sincere in what you're saying, but I can't trust that I won't get hurt again, you know? And I don't want to get hurt again." He nodded. "I'm also just confused about the timing of all of this, and what's right for me…and until I figure that out, I can't be with you."

"I understand that," he assured her. "I really do...but Haley, I'm not going to hurt you again. I promise you. I'm not that same stubborn kid I was back then. I know what I want now, and maybe I won't always show you the right way, but what I want is you."

"That's really sweet," she said, smiling. "The problem is I don't know what I want. You have it all figured out, and that's great, but it's not that way for me."

It was hard for him to hear - that she wasn't ready to want him back, but he got it. As hard as it was, he got it. She was going through a lot, and him pushing her to be with him again wasn't helping the matter. He needed to just give her space, and leaving in the morning would definitely do it.

"That's fair," he replied. "Listen, I need to tell you something."

"Okay." She nodded at him. "What's up?"

"I'm leaving in the morning."

"Leaving?" she repeated. She blinked up at him. "What do you mean? I thought you were going to stay and spend time with Luke for a few more days."

"I was," he responded. "I just think it's time to get out of here, you know? And I think if I take off now, things will be easier on you too. I want that for you, Haley. I don't want things to be hard. You've had enough hard in your life."

"Most of that hard dealt with you," she pointed out. They both laughed. "I appreciate you thinking about me and wanting the best for me, but…you don't have to do that. You should stay if you want to stay."

"Nah." He shook his head. "Besides, I should probably be at home, training for basketball or something involving my career. I'd like to keep the money rolling in."

She rolled her eyes. "I think you have enough to keep you going for a while, Nathan."

"True…but I still like it to come in." He looked over at her. "I came out here because I wanted to tell you goodbye. I mean, I know we live in the same state, but we never see each other, and I doubt that starts now."

"You don't know that," she told him, looking in his cerulean eyes. The eyes that belonged to the boy she fell in love with when she was sixteen, and the man she was still so obviously in love with now. "We worked things out. Maybe we can be friends when we're both in California again."

He scoffed at that remark. They wouldn't be friends. They couldn't be friends, and they had established that in the hotel room a few days before. There was too much history there for that. They either got back together or they were nothing. That was how Nathan saw it, and that was pretty much how it was.

"You know that won't happen," he muttered.

"Fine," she conceded. "You're right. You won't be friends with me. You're either having sex with me or you're ignoring me like you did the past six years, right?"

He shook his head at her. "I never said that. I don't just want you for sex or whatever lame ass thing is running through your stubborn mind right now. I want you to be with me again, Haley, and you know that. You know I'm in love with you and that I want another chance with you. I want you because my heart is yours, and I know that somewhere in there, you know that yours is mine."

"I told you we can't do this," she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "It's all too soon."

"I know, and that's why I'm not going to push you or bring it up anymore. I just want you to know that my feelings for you aren't going to go away, and I'll be here for you if you decide it's what you want."

"Well thank you for that," she offered.

"Yeah." He nodded. "So I guess this is goodbye. I'm going to head back and get my things together after I say bye to Peyton and Jake. Then I need to get some sleep. I've got to leave at six."

"Ew. That's too early for me."

He laughed. "I know. Anyway.." He wrapped an arm around her, and she didn't pull away from him. Instead, she leaned her head against his shoulder and just let him hold her again. And it did feel good…to both of them. "I'm really glad I got to see you again, and to learn what I did about myself. This is the first time Tree Hill's felt like home in a long time, and that's because you were here." He turned and kissed the top of her head. "You're the only girl I've ever loved, Haley, and that's not going to change. Not now and not ever."

She nodded against his shoulder and let out a little sob. "I'm sorry that the timing's always sucked for us. Or that one of us is always too stubborn to do anything."

"I'm sorry too. And I'm sorry for blindsiding you with all these feelings and I'm sorry for the way I acted when I first saw you again. I was just…well, I don't know what I was."

"An ass?" she quipped.

He laughed. "Yes. An ass," he repeated, grinning. "I've always been that way when I get hurt, and I'm sorry for all the hurt we've gone through because of each other…but it's over now, and I promise you that if you want to ever try again with me, there won't be anymore of it."

"Okay," she said simply. She didn't want to say anything else and get his hopes up. As much as she loved Nathan, she just didn't know if she could be with him again. And it probably wasn't helping that she was letting him hold her, but she couldn't help it. His arm around her just felt so wonderful. She didn't want him to remove it.

"Okay," he said again. "Well. I guess all I have to say now is I love you, and I really hope I see you again soon."

She lifted her head up and smiled at him, the tears shining in her brown eyes. This was it. This was their goodbye, and she didn't know if she would be able to commit to him again. She also didn't know when the next time she saw him would be. She didn't want to get his hopes up, but at the same time, she wanted him to know that she loved him too.

So she went for it. She was concerned about Nathan getting hopeful on them again when she didn't know what she wanted, but he needed to know. He had told her the way he felt, and she needed to do the same. She took a deep breath, and brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "I love you too."

He smiled and kissed her softly on the lips. "That's all I needed to hear…I know it doesn't mean anything right now but it's nice to hear. I'll see you when I see you, okay?"

"Okay." They both stood up and Haley stepped into his arms for one more hug. "Good luck rolling in more money."

He smiled. "Good luck with your music, and whatever you decide to do." He pulled away from her and started to walk back inside, but stopped when he heard her soft voice call out to him. He turned around, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.

"Will you call me sometime?"

"You really want me to?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, smiling. "I really want you to. It'd be nice to hear from you."

"Then I'll call," he told her. He walked back inside then, not once looking back. He figured he didn't need to. She'd come back to him sometime. She loved him too. She said it herself.

She sat back down on the step, and looked back up at the dark sky. She knew she had probably said too much by telling him she loved him back, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it was a good thing that he knew how she felt - how she had always felt. It just sucked that they had gone through all that pain before she and Nathan both figured it out.

Loving him didn't solve anything, and it sure as hell didn't make anything easier. It didn't mean that they would get back together, but for now, it was enough for her. It was enough to know that she loved him, and if she wanted him, she could have him. He had told her he'd be there, and she believed that.

She knew with time she would figure out what she wanted and needed in her life to be really happy. And if that was Nathan, she would be glad about that. She would be happy if her life ended up being joined to his, but if it didn't, she would be okay. She had her music and her friends, and she was going to move back to Tree Hill. Her life would be full of good, with or without Nathan.

She just needed to figure out which of the two was better for her. Being with Nathan or not being with Nathan.

She walked back inside just in time to catch the end of Lucas's best man speech. "And so…" He took a deep breath, and Haley realized what he was about to do. She would have squealed if more people knew about it, but she and Nathan were the only ones. "Seeing Jake and Peyton so happy and in love and making it official makes me realize what I want in my life. So. Brooke Davis…" He walked over to his girlfriend and took her hand in his, dropping down to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh my God!" she nearly screamed, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Of course I'll marry you!" She laughed and pulled him back up, and Lucas let the microphone drop to the floor. The crowd erupted in cheers as soon as she said yes, but once he dropped that, they all covered their ears. The squeak was terrible but Lucas and Brooke were oblivious to it. They kissed until Nathan clapped his brother on the back and picked up the microphone for him.

"Okay, so I guess my brother and his new fiancée deserve a round of applause. Looks like we'll all be seeing each other sooner than we thought." Everyone clapped, and it got even louder when Lucas pulled the ring out of his suit jacket. It was big, and the look on Brooke's face said how much she loved it. It was perfect for her, and yet again, Haley's friends became each other's forever.

It pulled at her heart a little bit. She wanted that again one day. But she was so happy for them. There wasn't anyone else who deserved to be engaged besides those two. She looked up and saw Nathan smile at her from across the room, and she realized everything would be okay again one day.

His smile gave her that.


	14. Chapter 14

Nathan stepped into his house, looking around the large living room. Everything was still in place, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes he was concerned about leaving his house to go out of town, even though he did it a lot for his career. He had so much money wrapped up in his place and his belongings. But then again, he lived in a gated community.

He dropped his duffel bag at his feet, deciding he would pick it up later. He'd been flying for several hours, and all he wanted to do was hop in the shower. He wanted to wash that nasty airplane smell off of him.

Before he could take another step, Alyssa ran down the stairs and flung herself into his arms. "Welcome home!" she squealed. She peppered his face with kisses. She really had missed him.

"Lyss," he addressed, surprised as hell that she was there. She didn't have a key to his place. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

"Oh, the security guard down by the gate let me in. He recognized me," she explained, kissing him on the lips. "And then I remembered you kept a spare key in the backyard. So I climbed your fence." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?"

"Shocked, actually," he admitted to her.

She smiled and started to kiss him again. He pulled back before she could follow through though. He couldn't let her kiss him. He couldn't let this go any further. He owed it to himself and to Haley to be honest…and he owed it to Alyssa too. "Baby, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I can't be with you anymore," he said quietly, looking down at his shoes. He knew he was being a coward, but he couldn't look in her eyes. It was too hard because he knew he was causing her pain, but he had caused enough girls in his life pain to continue being with her. Especially when he didn't love her, and he did love Haley.

"What?" she asked quietly. It was quiet, but he could hear some anger hidden within her soft voice.

"I can't be with you anymore," he repeated, finally lifting his head to look in her eyes.

She shook her head, not understanding what he was telling her. "Did something happen back in Tree Hill? Nathan, I'm sorry, I really wanted to be there with you."

"Yeah. Something happened in Tree Hill," he said honestly. He took a deep breath and decided to dive right in. It was easier to tell the truth than to lie to her and find out later on what the break up was really about. "Do you remember Haley?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "The girl you said you stupidly married in high school."

"It wasn't stupid," he defended. "It was probably the best thing I ever did. And I was too stubborn back then to realize it, but I realize it now. It was a mistake letting her get away from me, and I'm not about to let her get away from me again. I want Haley back, and that's not fair to you."

She laughed then. She actually laughed at what he was saying. He couldn't believe it. He was being serious and honest with her, and she acted like it was all a big joke. It pissed him off. "You really had me going there for a minute! I thought you were seriously breaking up with me!"

"I am," he said, not blinking as she looked in his blue eyes. "This can't go on. I want to be with Haley again."

"Mm hmm." Her mouth formed a tight smile. "Well. Does she want to be with you again too?"

"I don't know," he said, telling the absolute truth. It was better than lying. He'd been lying to himself for years now, and there was no point in lying to anyone else. It just ended up badly. "We talked about it, but she's not sure. She just got out of a bad relationship."

"I see." She nodded at him, the grim look still apparent on her face. "So you're telling me that you're breaking up with me - a girl that actually loves you and wants to be with you - for a girl that isn't sure what she wants? That makes all the sense in the world, Nathan," she muttered sarcastically.

"She's been through a lot, and she needs to know that my feelings for her are real, and that I'm not going to hurt her again."

"Get real. She isn't going to drop her life and career and come back to you. I know who she is, Nathan, and she's a huge star. She's one of the biggest singers in this country, and you think she's going to just forget that and run back to you? She won't. She has too much to lose."

"And I'm not worth that?" he scoffed. "Thanks, Alyssa, you've made this break up a lot more clear to me that it's the right thing to do. Thanks for that."

She sighed heavily. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Whatever. Who's to say that I'm not going to walk away from all of this for her? It's a two way street."

"You won't," she stated. And she knew she was right. Nathan loved basketball, and she knew he wouldn't give it up for some dumb girl he may have reconnected with for a few days. He would never give up his dream. "You love this sport way too much."

"Not as much as I love _her,_" he said firmly. He meant that. He loved Haley with all of his heart, and if he needed to give up basketball to be with her, he would. She meant too much to him.

"You're tired from the flight," she excused him. "You're tired, and you'll take a nap, and when you wake up, all of this crazy talk will be over."

"I may be tired, but I know what I want. And that's Haley." He looked her hard in the eyes. He knew he was being an ass, but she was acting like everything he felt towards Haley was a big joke, and that none of it mattered. "You know, I think I will take that nap. When I wake up, you better be gone. You're undermining my feelings, and I won't have that. Not in my house." He gave her one last look before treading up the stairs, leaving her standing there.

---

"I love him," Haley stated to Brooke. She was drinking, and she knew it was early in the afternoon for that, but Nathan was gone, and damn it. She felt like drinking. And Brooke was engaged now, and she wanted to celebrate, so she was drinking with her friend as well. Besides, they were just in Brooke and Lucas's house. Not a big deal. They were drinking privately at least.

"I love him too," Brooke said giddily, looking at her ring again. She loved it. She really, really loved it. She knew Lucas probably had some help paying for it, but she wasn't going to ask him or demand him to take it back and get her something he could afford. She loved it too much for that. He'd done a great job picking it out.

"Nathan?" Haley blinked at her.

Brooke laughed. Actually, she cackled. Her? Loving Nathan Scott? No way! That was such a Haley James thing! Brooke Davis loved non-assy men…well, that's what Lucas was. The others she had dated? They may have been a tad bit assy. "No way, silly! Lucas! I love Lucas!"

"Oh. Him." Haley rolled her eyes, and took another sip of her Long Island Iced Tea. Brooke was a good drink maker. For sure. "I know you love him. He gave you a big rock on your finger." She lazily pointed at Brooke's ring. "But _I _love Nathan!"

"Nathan, Nathan," Brooke rolled the name around. "Big deal. He is in California balling it up somewhere, and you're here. If you really loved him, you would have gone with him! Or begged him to stay!"

Haley shook her head. "No. I can love someone and not ask them to follow me."

"You mean stay with you," Brooke corrected. "You would have to follow him. Because he left you here. And went to Cali! So you have to follow him to get there!"

"Whatever." Haley shrugged.

"No, seriously. Listen," Brooke slurred. "You didn't ask him to go with you on tour, and that screwed things up. Not asking him to stay or not asking to go with him? What if you messed things up again?" Brooke's eyes grew wide, like a light bulb was going off in her mind. "Yeah! What if you messed things up? And you're going to be single forever? Living with cats? And you'll turn crazy, and want to move your wacky ass in with me and Luke! And - "

"Brooke!" Haley interrupted. "Stop!"

"Okay." Her friend shrugged and poured herself some more Bacardi Zombie. Nothing like a drink at two in the afternoon.

"Okay? Just okay? You tell me I'm going to be a cat lady, and now you're just saying okay? What the hell?"

"Look…Tutor Girl, looky. You love Nathan. You shouldn't worry about getting hurt again. You should just go for it. Tell him that you're scared, but that you love him, and if you love each other, you can work it out. You can work it all out!"

"Well, I do love him." She set her drink down, and watched the dark liquid slosh around inside her glass. "But I don't think I should be with him. At least for now."

"God!" Brooke nearly screamed. Haley's stubbornness had really sobered her up. She couldn't handle it anymore. She was going to pull her hair out! "You love him! You either be with him or not! But don't keep thinking about it. You either go with him or you stay here. But you have to make up your damn mind!"

"So you're telling him if I love him I have to be with him? I have no choice?"

"You have a choice," Brooke said. "And the one you pick better be the right one! Nathan loves you, Haley, and he's not going to hurt you again! I saw the way he was looking at you. He wants you, and if he gets you, he'll treat you like you're a princess. He won't let anything happen to you, and he won't do anything to you! He'll love you. Just like you always wanted him to do."

Haley stared at her long and hard. She was right. Nathan loved her, and he would protect her from everything. He wasn't going to break her heart again…not when he knew how much pain it had caused the both of them last time. He was in it for the long haul again. She needed to see him. She needed to be with him.

"You're right," she whispered. "He loves me, Brooke!"

"I know!" She rolled her eyes. Seriously, she'd only told Haley like fifty times now. "So go get your man! Tell him you love him too, and that you can do this! Tell him you don't care what happened before, and that you want to be in his life again, and that you want him in yours! I guarantee he'll kiss you right then and there, and the rest will be history!"

Haley smiled. She was going to do this. She was going to get Nathan. She'd been too lonely without him for six years, and the only way she was really happy was if she was with him. So she was going to go be with him. It was about time for it.

---

Nathan's eyes opened when he heard the doorbell ring. He looked at the clock and groaned when he saw it was ten. He had planned on getting up early to go running and to shoot around a little bit. He needed to practice again. He really didn't much while he was in Tree Hill, and if his coach found out, he would pay for it.

He pushed himself out of bed, not even bothering to throw a t-shirt on. Besides, he wasn't expecting anyone, so there was no need to look presentable or anything. But whoever was coming to his house must have been someone he knew. The security guards didn't let just anyone come in the addition whenever they wanted. If they did, he would have moved a long time ago.

Opening the door, he rolled his eyes as soon as he saw who was on the other side. Alyssa. She had been gone when he woke up the day before thankfully. But now she was back, and he did not want to deal with her.

"Um," he said by way of greeting. He didn't know what to say. He really didn't want her in his house, let alone in his neighborhood. He was calling whoever was down by the gate later. She wasn't just going to come in whenever she wanted.

"Hello yourself." She smiled cheekily and pushed her way inside. "So. I was thinking," she said when he turned around, slamming the door behind him. "I know you're like in love with Haley James or whatever, but I look around, and I don't see her…so I will forgive your little lapse in judgment and let you take me back."

Let her take him back? He scoffed. What had happened to her? She used to be so perfect for him. She just got him, and she let him be who he wanted to be. Now she was trying to force him into her life? Lovely. "I don't want to take you back," he said firmly. "You and me? We're done." He opened the door again. "Now I'd like you to get out."

She smirked and opened her long coat, revealing her lacy bra and panties. Oh, now she was throwing herself at him? His morning was just getting better by the minute. "You still want me to get out?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes," he confirmed. "I want you to get out."

"Okay." She shrugged, not bothering to pick up her coat. Then her eyes focused on something behind him through the open door. "Well look, Nathan! It's Haley James!"

Nathan turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw her standing there. Her blonde hair was blowing in the California breeze and her face looked flushed. He couldn't help but think she was beautiful. And then he noticed the hurt look on her face. "Haley.."

She looked at him, noticing his shirtless chest, and then she looked at the girl…standing there in her underwear. Nathan had lied to her. He didn't love her, and he had hurt her. Just like he said he wouldn't. "This was a mistake," she whispered, looking up at him.

"Haley, no." He reached out for her, but she pulled back. She didn't want him touching her. Not now and not again. Not ever again. "Hales," he whispered, his own eyes mirroring the hurt hers were carrying.

"I came here to tell you that nothing else mattered…nothing but me and you." She laughed ironically. "I was wrong. It all matters. Your past, my past…our past. It all matters, and I can't pretend like it doesn't."

"It doesn't!" he argued. "What matters is the two of us. We love each other, Haley. I know we do."

"I don't care," she mumbled. She brushed a piece of hair away from her face. "You lied. You promised you would wait, and that you weren't going to hurt me. How can I believe that when you're here with her?"

"It's not what it looks like!"

"You expect me to believe that?" she scoffed. "You're half naked, and she's half naked. There's not much of an explanation for that, except for what I think was going on. And I'm usually right…sorry I came."

"Haley!"

"Bye, Nathan." She turned around then, not looking back. It wasn't worth it. It just wasn't worth it anymore. He'd made his decision, and his decision was that little whore back in his living room. She couldn't stand another minute of being there…so she ran. She ran down the driveway and jumped in her car. She was going to go back to Tree Hill - where she belonged.

When Nathan saw her car leave his driveway, he turned back to Alyssa. "Get out," he ordered her.

"Nathan, baby. It's over now. We can be together and not worry about Haley James."

"I said get out!" he screamed at her. "I mean it Alyssa! Leave, and don't come back! I don't want to see your face ever again!"

She saw his expression and knew he was serious. She had blown it now. All her chances with Nathan Scott were gone. "Okay." She nodded and picked up the coat, placing it back over her body. She started to walk out the door. "I knew she wasn't the girl for you, Nathan. You were just too stubborn to admit it."

"Don't come back here," he said quietly, but he was so serious that it scared her. "Don't ever come near this house or me again."

He slammed the door, and sunk down against it. He ran his hands through his thick hair and sighed. The hurt look on her face was stuck in his mind, and he couldn't make the image leave. And along with that image, one thought wouldn't leave…

After earning Haley's trust back, he had lost her...again.


	15. Chapter 15

"It was awful!" Haley wailed into her phone. She had gone back to her place to pick up some more clothes to go back to Tree Hill. She wasn't going to stay in California where he was. She was going to Tree Hill - with the people that actually loved her.

"I can't believe the nerve of that little piece of scum," Brooke ground out. "How dare he do that to you! He knew you were afraid to get back with him, and you know what? You had damn good reason to be! Can you imagine if you two were actually together and you'd caught him like that? I'd kill him! Kill him! String him up by his balls and laugh!"

"I know right!" She grabbed a few shirts out of her closet and tossed them sloppily into her suitcase. "He told me that he loved me! What a crock that was!"

"I think he loves you," Brooke said seriously. "He just…fucked it all up, for lack of a better word. He's really going to regret it all now though, Tutor Girl. I'm sure of that!"

"Have you or Lucas talked to him?"

"No," she answered. "Luke's called him a couple times but he doesn't pick up, and he doesn't call back. Personally, I can't blame the guy. You know he's just going to get his ass chewed out, and he knows it too."

"Well he deserves it," she muttered, grabbing her shoes off the floor. "He could have had it all with me, Brooke! I went there to tell him that! And he just like totally spit in my face!"

"That's Nathan for you," she replied. She felt so bad for Haley, and the sad thing was, she knew Nathan loved her. She knew how much Nathan was in love with Haley, and she just couldn't figure out why he would do something like that. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"No way in hell will I ever talk to him again!" she exclaimed stubbornly. He'd taken her heart again and stomped all over it. Again. She wasn't going to risk that with him ever, ever again in her life. She was done. Absolutely done.

"Maybe there's an explanation," Brooke said calmly.

"An explanation?" Haley scoffed. "There is so explanation as to why that man is such a major asshole! God! He didn't need to go back to Tree Hill for that wedding!"

"He's their friend too," Brooke defended him. "Just like you're their friend! He had just as much a right to be there as you did! Don't act like everything you two shared this past week was a pile of shit just because you got hurt in the end! I know you felt things you for him you couldn't even remember feeling!"

"Why are you even defending him?"

"Because whether you believe it or not, Nathan loves you. He always has. He just hasn't always been able to show you or prove that to you, but this week…God, Haley. He put it all on the line for you, knowing that the feelings probably weren't going to be reciprocated right away. But he took that chance because he loves you. He's in love with you."

"I don't care what he is," she responded, zipping up her way too full suitcase. "I'm done with him. I have nothing to say to him, and I don't want to hear anything he might have to say to me. He could have stayed where I was if he loves me so much."

"He was giving you space like you wanted!" she reminded her. "Seriously, why are you being so damn stubborn about this?! Talk to him! Ask him what she was really doing there, and maybe you'll get a happily ever after like you always wanted!"

"I want a happily ever now!" she retorted. "I don't care about fifty years from now or whenever my life is over! I care about now! And what I want now is to be happy, and Nathan could have helped out with that! But he didn't! He just screwed everything up!"

"Well you screwed things up once too! And remember how you felt back then? That's probably how Nathan's feeling now! So suck it up and just talk to him!"

"And hear his lame excuses?" she asked angrily. "No! I don't want to hear them! Because you know what? I won't believe them anyway! We're done, Brooke."

"Whatever," she replied. "I have to go. Lucas and I are going out for a little bit…but just remember that if you love him, you should hear him out. Maybe you will get your happily ever now. I don't want you living a life of regret."

They both hung up, and Haley dropped back on her bed. She didn't know what to think or do anymore. Of course she loved Nathan. She always had, and there was no question about that in her mind. He was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but when she saw him and that girl in his living room, it was just proof that she would get hurt again. And if could hurt her this much when they weren't officially together, she could only imagine what would happen if they did get together.

She couldn't picture herself getting back together with him now. Even if things were good for a while, chances were they would just fall apart later on. Something always happened to tear the two of them apart, and maybe that was because they weren't meant to be. She had always believed that they were back when they were married, but now…now she wasn't so sure.

Seeing him with that girl was probably one of the worst things she had ever seen. Worse than the anger in his eyes the night she went back to Tree Hill to be with him, and probably worse than the hurt she'd seen when she'd admitted to kissing Chris Keller the night she left for the tour. The worst images in her mind always dealt with him. And that sucked. She didn't want to think back on bad things and see Nathan. She wanted to remember good with him…but because mainly when she looked back on them together, and saw the bad things, it meant it was probably a good thing they hadn't gotten back together. Maybe the girl in his living room was a sign they weren't meant to be.

Sighing, she stood back up and grabbed her suitcase. She'd already called the record company and told them that she was going to be taking some time off and didn't know when she would be back. She didn't even tell them where she would be going. She didn't want the pressure of them telling her she had to go work on her next album. She needed a break.

Her flight left in a few hours, and a friend she'd met during one of her first trips to California was going to watch the house for her. Of course, she wouldn't need her friend to do it if she hadn't caught Nathan with that girl. If she hadn't, they'd probably be together right now…maybe back at her house eating dinner or back at his watching television or something. But that wasn't how things were supposed to go. Whatever. Life would work out one day.

She was turning off the lamp in her room when her phone went off. Glancing down at it, she saw Nathan's name flashing on the screen. Now he was calling to make his excuses. But she wasn't going to listen. She'd had enough of him. She hit 'ignore' and went back to getting the house ready so she could leave indefinitely.

It rang again when she was pulling her door closed and locking it. She automatically hit 'ignore.' She wasn't going to listen to him, and the sooner he realized that, the happier she would be. And the easier things would be on him.

She cursed herself for thinking that. Easier on him? Who cared if this was easy on him or not? He was the one that had hurt her! He was the one who decided to play the clothes off game with that girl in his living room only hours after telling her he loved her! He was just unbelievable.

Several hours later, Haley was back in the airport in North Carolina. She grinned when she saw Lucas waiting on her. He might have been mad about how she was handling things - which she wasn't even sure he was - but if he was, at least he was still there for her. He was the best friend ever.

"Hey buddy," he greeted her, taking her carry on bag. "How are you holding up?"

"Shitty," she mumbled, and he looked at her in surprise. His friend hardly cussed. She must really have been messed up over everything that had gone down with his little brother. "Yes, Lucas, I said shitty."

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just can't believe all this happened."

"Me either," she admitted, sighing. "Have you talked to him?"

"You mean since you asked Brooke the last time?" He had a knowing smile on his face.

"Yes." She rolled her eyes at him.

"No," he answered. "He won't pick up, and he won't return my calls after I leave him voice mails. Whatever. I'm not going to baby sit him for you, Haley."

"I didn't ask you to," she replied, rolling her eyes again. "All I wanted to know was if you talked to him. You know, see if he had an excuse for me."

"No, I haven't. Have you?"

"He called," she admitted. "But I didn't answer."

"Well at least we know he's alive," he told her as they walked to baggage claim. "Why didn't you answer the phone?"

"I don't want to hear what he has to say. I'm done with it all, Lucas. He said he wouldn't hurt me again, and he did. I'm not going to listen to his excuses and get hurt even more. I refuse to go through that."

He sighed. Haley was so freaking stubborn sometimes! "Maybe you should hear him out," he suggested, wincing at the look that came across Haley's face. "Haley. You might want to hear what he has to say."

"No, Lucas," she denied him. "I don't want to hear what he has to say. If he wants me to hear him out that badly, he can leave a voicemail, and maybe…maybe I'll call him back. If it's worth it. But if it's not, I'm not talking to him."

"Well thanks for giving him an inch," he muttered sarcastically. He grabbed Haley's bag when she pointed to it. "Seriously, Haley, he loves you, and if you'd just hear him out, it would probably all be worth it."

---

Nathan pushed the call button on his phone when he scrolled down the contacts to Haley's number. He punched the wall when it went straight to her voicemail, wincing at the pain he felt in his hand. Damn it! He wasn't going to leave a fucking message on her answering machine or whatever. He couldn't tell her anything on that. That was too…impersonal.

He didn't want to be that way with her. He wanted to see her and hold her and tell her the truth about everything. He wanted her to see that it was a misunderstanding, and he hadn't meant for her to get hurt, but at the same time, he didn't even know she was coming over. She said she'd wanted space, so he gave her that. Was he silly to think that would last for more than a few hours?

But he should have known that calling her would get him nowhere. Haley was so stubborn, and he should have realized she wouldn't pick up the phone. She was obviously done with him. She wouldn't call him back. She had no intention of it, and he knew it. So now he was stuck punching walls and being pissed because his stupid ex-girlfriend had thrown herself at him. Seriously, who comes over in just a bra and underwear with a coat over them? Stupid girls. That's who!

He knew Lucas had called him several times, but he didn't bother calling him back or listening to the voicemails he left. He just had no desire to. He knew his brother was going to want an explanation, but he really didn't have much of one. And how lame did it sound if he told his brother his ex-girlfriend came to his house with a coat over her undergarments, took off the coat, and Haley showed up? And he knew it didn't help matters that he slept without a shirt on! But he got hot, and they were uncomfortable at night! Jeez!

Sighing, he picked up his cell phone once more, getting to Haley's number. He pushed the call button, and it went to her voicemail again. Okay, she had turned her phone off. So now he was a liar and annoying her. This day was just from hell. And now to top it off, he had punched the wall so hard, he'd probably broken his hand. He glanced down at it. His knuckles were already purple and swelling…and he was a basketball player! Broken hands just didn't work on them! Shit!

He went into his kitchen and got out some ice, wrapping it in a towel. He placed it against his knuckles, cringing at the pain it brought on. Stupid punching. He hated his temper sometimes. It just got way, way out of hand. Luckily, it was June, and he still had a few months before practice was in full swing again, but a broken hand was not something he wanted to deal with.

The house phone rang a few minutes later, and he sighed, going to answer it. He figured he should. He'd been avoiding everyone all day. "Hello?"

"Nathan Scott." The voice was a little perky.

Brooke. "Hey," he greeted dully. "What can I do for you, Brooke?"

"I demand an explanation about this…this half naked girl in your living room or whatever the hell Haley told me. She is so pissed at you, Nathan!"

"I don't know if I should tell you before I talk to Haley, you know?" He sighed loudly.

"Don't be so dramatic about it, Nathan," she ordered harshly. "This is all on you, okay? You let the girl in your house…by the way, who was it?"

"Alyssa," he mumbled.

"Alyssa?" She laughed. "You were supposed to dump her. Great. That's classic Nathan for you, I guess."

"Shut up," he bit out, slamming his sore hand against the countertop. Ouch. "We did break up, and she decided to show up at my house, force her way in, and expose herself to me and probably the whole neighborhood with the door open like that."

"Wait." Brooke calmed down a little. She knew Nathan wasn't lying. He wouldn't lie…not when it came to Haley. "You broke up with her?"

"Yes, I did," he confirmed. "I told her the truth, but honestly, what was the point? It doesn't get me anywhere anymore."

"You did that for Haley?" she asked softly.

"I'd do anything for her, Brooke," he replied. "You know that, I know that…everyone seems to know that except her."

"Hmm. That's probably because she caught you shirtless with a girl in her bra and panties in your living room!"

"I know, I know," he said, annoyed with remembering it. It was getting so old, and it had only happened yesterday. "I just don't know what to do. I mean, she won't take my calls, and if I show up at her house, she'll probably just call the police, and I'll get arrested…that'll look great on ESPN."

Brooke chuckled. "You're serious about being with her? No games?"

"I'm serious," he told her. "I just don't know how to get her to want to be with me."

"Well if you're serious, I have an idea."

"What's that?" He would try anything at this point.

"Haley's in Tree Hill, so I'm thinking you should come here."

"I don't know," he said hesitantly. "She obviously needs space…now more than ever."

"So what?" she snapped. "Do yourself a favor…come to Tree Hill, Nathan. Come get your girl."


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, we are down to the end! This chapter and the one after are the last two! It's sad to be ending this story, but I think it is time. So many people have grown frustrated over their relationship (me included) haha. So this will end after 17 chapters, and our Nathan and Haley will get a happily ever after! Thanks to everyone for the replies and continued reading! You guys are the best! :)**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

Haley shoved her sunglasses back on her head as she looked at the large house in front of her. It was on the beach, and she loved that. But she wasn't sure if it was too big for her or not. She wanted a big house when she moved to Tree Hill, but this one was huge…but it was one of the only nicer ones at the beach. She couldn't make up her mind.

She sighed, tired of thinking. Brooke had dropped her off and was running to the grocery store, and then was coming back to get her, so she probably had a half hour to kill at least. She walked around the back of the house so she could spend some time at said beach. It was beautiful, and although there were beaches in California, nothing compared to the one in Tree Hill. Maybe it was because that was where home was though. She wasn't sure.

She'd been in Tree Hill a week now, staying with Lucas and Brooke. They kept telling her they loved having her, that there was plenty of room, and that she could stay as long as she wanted, but she felt like an imposition. She had enough money to get a hotel room obviously, but Brooke told her not to - that she wanted their friend to stay with them. So she did, but still. She couldn't help feeling like she was in their way.

She got to the ocean and pulled off her flip flops, splashing around in the waves. She felt like a child again, and it had been a long time since she'd felt like that. Lately, she was just under stress. And that childlike feeling she used to get hadn't shown up in forever. Until now. She giggled when a wave came up past her knees, loving how she was feeling.

So many good things had happened in her life when she was on the beach. She had married Nathan on the beach, and even now, that was probably the happiest day of her life. She knew her whole future back then, and that it was Nathan. It was always Nathan with her. In fact, one of the first conversations she'd had with Nathan had been on a beach because Lucas had been an ass to her at one of Nathan's fifty thousand parties at the Scott beach house. They had just started their tutoring sessions, but neither really knew each other then. That night, Nathan had completely opened up to her, and it pleased her to know he could do that with her.

Another time they were at the beach, Nathan had snuck the two of them out of school. He didn't want to be there for the rest of the day, and so she had cut with him. She was at that point in their relationship where nothing was more important than him. So she'd gone with him. And they drank, and she got completely wasted, ending the day being caught by Dan Scott and throwing up in his lap. She still laughed every time she thought of that.

She smiled as she thought back on those memories, reminding herself that not everything that had happened with Nathan was bad. A lot of it was good - a lot of good. She was lucky to have spent that year of high school with Nathan. And she was lucky to have seen him again at Peyton and Jake's wedding.

Despite all the crap that had gone down.

A little while later, Haley heard Brooke's car horn honk, and then grabbed the flip flops she'd thrown haphazardly on the beach a little while earlier, and took off for the vehicle waiting in front of the house. She jogged towards the car, smiling when she saw Brooke wave. She opened the car door and settled in the front seat, glancing at the bags of groceries in the backseat. "God," she marveled, looking at Brooke. "Lucas eats a ton."

Brooke laughed. "Yeah. It's like he's a growing boy, only…he's not." She shrugged. "Whatever. It's his money buying all this food."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "What's your money buy?"

"Clothes and kinky sex toys," Brooke said bluntly, causing Haley's eyes to grow wide and send her into a coughing fit. "Whoa there."

"Okay, ew!" Haley held up a finger when she stopped coughing. "I don't ever want to hear about you and Lucas and your kinky sex toys ever again! That's disgusting! He's like my freaking brother!"

"Yes, I know." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Why you never hooked up with him back in high school, I'll never know. I mean, you had plenty of opportunities before Nathan Scott rode through on his white horse to rescue you."

"Sick, Brooke!" Haley burst out, glaring at her friend. "Lucas is like my brother, okay? That's why we never hooked up. And I would have taken a hook up with Nathan over Lucas any day! Lucas and I never swung like that!"

Brooke laughed and had a remark on the tip of her tongue, but before she could get it out, her phone rang. She went to answer it, her eyes widening when she saw who was calling. It was Nathan. She couldn't answer it when Haley was in her car, could she? She frowned, unsure what to do. Nathan might really need her advice or something, and they weren't that far from the house she shared with Lucas. She could pull it off for a few minutes without Haley realizing who it was.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Brooke, hey," Nathan responded. "Look, I need a favor."

"Well, well," she said, looking at Haley. Haley just smiled at her, completely oblivious to who she was talking to. "No 'how are you, how's life, Brooke?' Just you need a favor? I'll be thinking long and hard about that one, let me tell you."

She could practically hear him roll his eyes on the other end. "I'm in Tree Hill," he informed her, ignoring her previous remarks.

"Uh, wow." She didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't say much with Haley in the car. She didn't want her to know she was talking to Nathan, and she doubted Nathan wanted her to know. "What does that require of me?" she asked.

"Can you come get me?" he asked hopefully. "I tried Lucas, and I can't get a hold of him. You're my next bet."

"Well, I have Haley with me now," she said, glancing at her friend. "When do you need those sketches by?" She had to change the story. Otherwise, Haley would have gotten suspicious pretty quickly.

Nathan caught on immediately, grinning a little at the thought of Haley. "Oh," he responded. "Well can't you take her back to your house and come get me?"

She sighed. "An hour, you say?" She nodded to herself. "I can do that. See you in an hour!"

"Brooke!" he tried to object, but she had already clicked off. Great. Now he was stuck in the airport for an hour. What the hell was he supposed to do with his time? Read the magazines? Sign autographs for little boys who just happened to recognize him? Well, that wouldn't work. He'd broken his hand.

"Who was that?" Haley asked Brooke after she'd hung up.

"Work," she said dully, secretly pleased with herself for being such a great liar. "I have to get some sketches to them that I'd completely forgotten about, and I need to have them there within the hour. Would you mind terribly if I took you and the groceries back to my house, and you put them away for me? You don't have to if you don't want, but you'd be really helping me out." Oh. She was so lying through her teeth.

"Sure." Haley smiled. "I don't mind at all."

After Brooke dropped Haley off, she immediately headed to the airport to get Nathan. She was guessing they had some things to talk about…mainly his plan on how he was going to get Haley back. After all, that was what he was there for, and it was kind of Brooke's idea for him to come. She'd given away Haley's whereabouts, and she deserved to know what the plan was! It was only fair!

She strutted into the airport, her purse swinging back and forth from her hand. She spotted Nathan sitting on a chair, some random gossip magazine on his lap. Oh, the things boys do when they're bored. She laughed at him. His blue eyes were wide with interest as he read whatever trouble some random celebrity was in. "Nathan!" Brooke waved her hand in front of him, and his head snapped up. She could see his face turn red. He was embarrassed because of what he was reading, she could tell.

"You were supposed to be an hour!" he exclaimed, trying to tuck the magazine into his carry on bag discreetly, but failing at that miserably.

"I lied." She shrugged at him, a devious smile on her face. "How's it going, Soon-To-Be-Brother-In-Law?"

"Oh, God." He rolled his eyes. "I forgot you would be in my family soon. The horror!"

"Funny," she deadpanned. "You want a ride or not?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied as he stood up. He grabbed the bags setting at his feet and looked at Brooke. "Does she know I'm in town?"

"No. She thinks I'm taking sketches to a meeting or something. I don't really know…did you want her to know you were in town?" She eyed him suspiciously as they started walking through the airport.

"I don't think that's the best idea," he admitted.

She nodded and glanced down, noticing his hand. "Hmm. Angry much?"

"What?" He looked at her.

"Your hand." She pointed. "I'm willing to bet you hit something because you were mad about this little predicament you've gotten yourself into."

"Guilty," he said simply, sighing. "Brooke, what am I gonna do? I've gotta get her back!"

"You don't have a plan?" she asked incredulously. "Shouldn't you have a plan? You did fly across the country for her!"

"I figured I'd kind of just…wing it. Bad idea?"

"Probably," she blew out as they walked into the parking garage. "Well, we'll just have to come up with one on the way to wherever you're staying! Where is that, by the way?"

"Just take me to some hotel." He sighed. "I really didn't think any of this through. I just got my shit together, drove to the airport, and flew here."

"You must really love her," Brooke said softly, already knowing what his response would be.

"I do," he replied, smiling. "I really do."

---

"Luke!" Haley glared at her friend while she sat in his truck. She didn't even know where they were going. He'd just told her they were going for a ride, and so she'd agreed, figuring they would at least go mini golfing or something, but they hadn't! She'd been sitting in his car for an hour, and he wouldn't tell her anything! He would barely talk to her, and she was getting pissed.

Lucas could tell she was getting pissed too. But he couldn't do much about it. He was supposed to drop her off somewhere - he hadn't figured out where yet because neither Brooke nor Nathan had texted him the exact location yet. He knew if he talked to her much, he'd probably spill the beans, and no one would be very appreciative of him then.

"You could tell me where we're going!" she practically yelled at him. He glanced over at her, noticing the anger in her eyes. "Lucas Scott, I am so close to just punching you in your goodies, shoving you out of this truck, and driving myself far, far away from you!"

"God." He shuddered at her threat. "Relax. I just felt like driving, and I figured you would go, and just, like, respect that I wanted company but some quiet time too."

She raised an eyebrow. "But you're going to blast Kiss and Metallica while we drive?" She shook her head. "I'm not buying that. I don't believe you."

"Music sounds better than your voice right now, alright?" he blew out. He knew it was pretty rude, but he was going to blurt it out any minute. He was horrible at keeping exciting secrets. The sucky, life is horrible secrets? He could keep those for about a hundred years! But the exciting ones? They just would not stay in his mouth. They just always escaped it.

"Rude!" She rolled her eyes at him and looked out the window.

Twenty minutes later, as they were driving by Karen's Café for like the fifteenth time, his phone buzzed, and he grabbed it immediately. It told him to take her to the docks, tell her that Brooke was there, and just drive away. Oh, Haley was not going to like that one. He could already tell.

They arrived at the docks and Haley turned to him with a questioning look on her face. "Brooke's here," he explained. "She told me to drop you off for lunch. Her car's around here somewhere."

"Okay." She nodded. "Can we wait until I see her before you just leave me here?"

"No," he denied her, wincing at her expression. "Sorry, Hales. I've got to make it to lunch with Mouth."

"What? Luke!" she whined. He shrugged and opened the door for her, tossing her purse to her as he shut the door. "Lucas Scott!" She stomped her foot as he drove away, and turned around. She was pissed as hell now!

"Hi."

Haley whipped around at the word, her mouth dropping when she saw who was standing in front of her. Nathan! What the hell was Nathan doing in Tree Hill?

Lucas was so dead when she saw him next.


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, this is it. It's the very end. And I feel so bad that it's taken me months to get it to you. Things have been so hectic these past few months, and this story just fell from my mind. Buuuut I was thinking about it a minute ago, and i've had it written for forever so I figured I would put it up for all of you. Thank you for the support and all the feedback. You guys are awesome! :)**

**-Lindsay**

* * *

She stared Nathan down. He was not supposed to be in Tree Hill! Tree Hill was her place! It was her space away from him, and from the horrible memory she had of him in California when she went to tell him she wanted to try again. This was not right. She was going to have to fly back to California now. She didn't want to be around Nathan right now. She wasn't prepared to deal with him.

"Nathan," she returned, unable to keep the edge off her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," he returned easily. "Don't you have a house in California?"

"Don't you?" she retorted, crossing her arms. "You know, it's the big one with the half naked girl inside! That ring a bell?"

He shook his head. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. He figured she'd be slightly excited to see him, he would apologize, tell her the truth, and she'd fall into his arms. Okay, so this was not as easy as he thought it was going to be! Shit! "You don't even know what you saw, Haley."

"I think I do," she replied, watching the river behind him. "I saw a shirtless you, and a half naked Alyssa. That doesn't take much genius to know what was going on, Nathan."

"You don't understand!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. She was so freaking stubborn! "That was just bad timing! Haley, I love you, and I don't love her! I want you, I've always wanted you, and as much as I thought that had stopped all those years ago, it didn't! You're it for me!"

She sighed and tried to calm down. Those were some of the sweetest things he'd ever said to her, but it just wasn't that easy. This wasn't just some television show or movie where the guy apologizes and everything ends up right and wonderful in the end. This was her life!

And she didn't know if she could risk it on Nathan…no matter how much she loved him too.

"You can't just come to Tree Hill and spew a few endearments and expect it to all go away, Nathan," she replied, finally looking up into those deep blue eyes. The most gorgeous eyes she'd ever looked into.

"No, I can't," he agreed. "But if I can at least get you to listen to me, then I can tell you what happened, and how I feel about you…if I can do that, then I'll be happy. Whether you believe me or not. I'll feel better if you'd at least let me explain."

She nodded. She could give him that. As much as she really didn't owe him because of what he'd done to her, she could give it to him. She would give it to him. She led him over to the only empty picnic table, and if memory served her correctly, it was the spot of their very first tutoring session.

Hmm. Was that a sign?

Maybe she really was supposed to be with Nathan.

"Go ahead," she said softly when he sat down across from her. "I'll listen to you."

"Thanks," he said gently, watching as the emotions played in her big brown eyes. He could see the fear and the hurt…but he could still see some love. And that gave him the strength to talk. "It was all a misunderstanding," he began. "I got home the day before and I broke up with her. It wasn't fair to anyone for me to be in a relationship that wasn't going anywhere…because I'm in love with you. So I told her the truth, and she left…the next day, she came back and told me that she'd forgive me for my lapse in judgment or whatever. She said she'd take me back because she didn't see you around. And then I told her to get out, and she dropped her coat, revealing her…self," he said, for lack of a better word, "to me.

"Then you came. When you left, I made her leave. I wasn't going to get back with her just because you weren't around at the moment. I love you, Haley, and that's not going to change anytime soon."

"As far as excuses go, that seems pretty solid," she admitted to him. "But that still doesn't tell me why you were shirtless!"

"She woke me up!" he said loudly. "She woke me up, and you know I really don't like sleeping in shirts! So I just went to the door, not even caring what I looked like. I was tired, and I didn't feel like putting anything on. I was just going to go back to bed anyway."

"I see." She folded her hands together on top of the table and cleared her throat. "Well. I guess I have some things to think about, huh?"

He gave her his lopsided grin. "Hales…do you…I mean, is there any way…" He sighed. The right words just were not coming out!

"Is there any way I could ever be with you again?" she guessed, smiling back at him a little.

"Yeah," he confirmed. Haley got it; she always got it. "I mean, I guess I can understand if you don't want that, but…just know that I don't think I'm complete without you, and I mean that, Haley."

"You know," she started, "when I married you, I was sure that I was doing the right thing, you know? I really was. I had this great guy that I was totally in love with, and was going to be with forever, and I had a great group of friends…still do, actually. I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and now…now I just don't know anymore, Nathan." She cringed as his face fell a little. She had done that to him. She had disappointed him.

"Are you trying to tell me politely that you want nothing to do with me anymore?" he asked quietly, trying his best to avoid looking her in the eyes.

"I don't know," she whispered. "Seeing you with Alyssa in the position that you were in? It just made me see that I've had no part in your life for six years, and you seem to be doing just fine without me. I don't see how I could improve your life and vice versa."

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "Haley, I'm miserable without you! Ever since I saw you again, I can't stop thinking of you! You know, for those six years, I just went from one lousy relationship to another…trying to force something to happen. And I didn't have to do that when you were there all along. I shouldn't have sent you away when you came home. It's as simple as that."

"It's not," she argued with him. "It hasn't been that simple for us in a long time."

"But it could be!" he argued back. "You love me, I love you. See? Simple."

She frowned. He was totally wrong. Maybe it was simple six years ago. They'd been in love, gotten married, and figured the rest would be a fairy tale. But they were grown up now, and things in the grown up world were not simple. Everyone had their own careers and dreams and goals - things that were too huge to be simple.

She knew she loved Nathan. It was easy to know now. And looking back on the past six years, she should have known it back then as well. He was her soul mate, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind on that. But that didn't mean she could be with him. He had a life that involved basketball, and hers was all about music. Who was to even say they'd have time to be with each other and repair their relationship in the way it truly needed?

"Nathan…"

"Hales." He took a chance and placed his unbroken hand over her smaller ones. "I know that you love me. I can see it every time I look in those beautiful eyes of yours."

"I'm not saying I don't," she defended herself, looking down at their hands. "I do love you. I've loved you for the past six years even when I thought I didn't."

"Then why can't you keep loving me now?"

"I'll always love you," she said honestly. Hell, it'd been over six years since she'd started. Why stop now? "But that doesn't mean I have to be with you!"

"Why not? If you don't, you know you'll spend your whole life wondering what we would have been like…what our next wedding would have been like, how many kids we'd have, what they'd grow up to be, if we'd get any pets, what our house would be like…there are so many other things you'd wonder about, and I know you will if you don't take a chance on us."

"My whole life's been like that," she responded, letting a sigh escape her lips. "What's some more?"

"Why are you so fucking stubborn, Haley!?" he blew out as he stood up. He couldn't handle this anymore. He couldn't talk to her when all she was doing was shutting down everything he was saying.

"Me?" She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. She glared up at him, the fire apparent in her dark eyes. "How about when I came to see you and tell you I wanted to come home?! Who was the stubborn one back then, Nathan?!"

"You're right," he agreed. "I was stupid and stubborn, and…it was a mistake, Haley. I should have told you to come home. I should have begged you not to go again."

"Nathan." She shook her head at him. She couldn't hear this. "What's done is done. You made your decision then, and I have to make mine now."

"I changed my mind, Haley!" he argued with her. "I changed my mind, and you can too. Decisions aren't always definite!"

"When it comes to us, they have to be," she said quietly, looking him in the eyes. "We've caused each other enough hurt already without bouncing back and forth between being together and not."

"Then be with me," he requested simply, linking his fingers through hers. "Be with me, and don't ever look back."

She trembled a little when she saw the intensity radiating from those blue eyes. He was so serious about everything. He was dead set on being with her, and he wasn't willing to let her go. And that scared her a little. Not that he loved her, but that he was so set on doing it forever and being committed to her when he didn't even know what she wanted for the two of them.

"I don't know how to answer that," she said quietly, her eyes matching the intensity in his.

He nodded and stood up. "I think you just did."

And with that, he walked away from her. This time, he took his own advice and didn't look back.

---

"He just walked away, Brooke!"

Brooke looked away from Haley while they ate lunch, and rolled her eyes. This was like the thirtieth time Haley had whined about Nathan leaving her at the docks. What was Brooke supposed to do!? Call Nathan and beg him to talk to Haley again? No way. She'd already suggested he come to Tree Hill, and when he did, nothing good came of it. He was mad, and Haley was just…whatever. She was being a whiner about the whole thing.

"I know honey," she replied, mustering up as much sympathy as she could. But quite frankly, all sympathy had flown out the window after hearing the story for like the tenth time. "But you did kind of push him to that point."

"It's not like I wanted that!" she defended herself. "I'm just unsure of it all. I don't know if we can just forget everything that happened and get back together."

Brooke sighed. "Look, you're going to have to decide this. You can't decide you want him and then you don't…and then want him again. It doesn't work like that, and you know it. So does Nathan." She touched her friend's shoulder. "Haley, Nathan loves you. He's in it for the long haul. And if that's what you want then go get him."

"Why does everyone make it seem like it's the simplest thing in the world?" she wondered out loud. "It's not."

"To me, it is. I love Lucas, and I know I want to be with him. It's simple. Nathan loves and wants to be with you. Simple. And for you, I can't seem to understand why it's so hard to grasp that you love a guy who would give you the whole world if he could."

"I know I love him, Brooke," she blew out, brushing a piece of her blonde hair away from her face. "It has nothing to do with love."

"If you love him, just be with him," she advised her friend, looking her square in the eye. "The rest you can figure out later."

"I don't want to figure it out later!" she exclaimed. "I want it all figured out now! I want to know if my being with Nathan again is just going to get us both hurt in the end! We hurt each other back then way too much to even think about doing it again."

"Then don't think about getting hurt or hurting him," Brooke retorted.

She had spoken to Nathan after he'd walked away from Haley at the docks, and from what she understood, he regretted the way he had done that. He just couldn't sit there and listen to her doubt them the way she was. He was so completely confident in the two of them together, and it killed him that she wasn't. He wasn't going to sit there listen to her degrade their being a couple. And looking back on it, she could tell that while he was sorry for the way he acted, and he was pretty pissed about how it all had gone down.

"How?" she questioned. "How can I not when half of our relationship was spent hurting?"

"God, Haley," she addressed. "That's probably because you got married in freaking high school! Your relationship was like a year!" She stabbed a piece of broccoli that was on her plate in annoyance. Haley needed to get her whole Nathan act together…before it was her eye instead of the broccoli that Brooke was stabbing.

"Brooke, anything you say is just confusing me even more," Haley admitted to her, taking a sip of iced tea. "It's like it's supposed to be so simple because Nathan and I are some great, romantic love story, but you're right. Our relationship was like a year! How can we base anything off of that?"

"Because you love him!" She ran her hand through her dark hair, frustrated. Someone had to get through to Haley. It was obvious to Brooke that without Nathan, Haley wasn't happy.

She nodded. It was true. She loved Nathan. Always had, always would. And maybe she was being childish about the whole thing, but she didn't know how else to act. Hell, she'd been a child bride. She figured she might as well act like one a little longer. She hadn't gotten to play that role too long.

"Haley, Nathan is being really mature about all this," Brooke informed her, as if she just read her mind. "I don't know if you realized that, but it's so hard for him. I bet all he wants to do is pout and call it quits on you, but he's not because he loves you. That takes real maturity to just handle everything you keep throwing at him."

That was true. During the course of their short but loving relationship, Haley had been the mature one. And Nathan had been the boy who hadn't yet grown up all the way. And now their roles were kind of reversed. It was weird for Haley. She never thought she would sink down to how she was being now…but she couldn't help it.

"I need to talk to Nathan again," she finally said quietly. It was probably more to herself than Brooke, but Brooke still heard it. She smiled in satisfaction. She was getting somewhere with Haley now.

"What will you tell him?"

"That I love him, but things are too complicated?" She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well…" Brooke sighed. "I suggest you figure that out before you just call him up and tell him you're ready to talk again. You're probably walking on thin ice with him now, Haley."

She raised her eyebrows. "You really think so?"

"You push him away and then pull him back, and then you start the cycle right back up again. It's not good for either one of you, and I think that if you want him, you go get him, and don't look back. Nathan isn't going to put up with this shit forever."

There was always a point when someone had just had enough, and Haley understood that. She knew that Nathan was probably at that point, and if she wanted him back, she was going to have to do something about that. She was going to have to show him that she did love him, and pull him back from the point.

Her problem was that she didn't know what to do. She loved him with her whole heart. That would never change, even when she tried to force it to. She was just afraid…afraid to get back in that situation with him when so much had gone wrong the first time.

"I'm just afraid, Brooke," she said softly, looking her friend hard in the eye.

Brooke sighed. "I honestly don't know what to tell you. I think you and Nathan belong together. Nathan thinks that. Lucas thinks that. So do Peyton and Jake…but if you don't, then don't do anything about it. Don't hurt him again."

"You think I want to hurt him?" she asked incredulously. "That is the last thing I want to do!"

"I don't think you'd hurt him intentionally," she said calmly. She knew that Haley didn't want to hurt Nathan. After all the hurt she'd caused him in high school, she knew that Haley would never want to do that to him again. She'd heard the horror stories of how distant and shut down he'd become from Lucas and Brooke, and she wouldn't wish that on him ever again. "I just think you're confused and that confusion might end up hurting him…as well as yourself."

Haley stayed silent. She didn't know how to respond to that. She'd been hurt through this whole thing already, and she was sure Nathan had been too. But maybe in the end, if she and Nathan could work it out, that hurt would be worth it. If they had to go through all of these hard things to be happy again, then she could deal with that. If hurting got her Nathan in the end, then it would all be worth it.

"I need to see Nathan," she announced a few minutes later. "I don't care where he is or how long it takes to get there…I need to see him."

Brooke smiled. She was seeing the light. "I'm not sure where he is. I don't know if he's already left Tree Hill or what. I talked to him once, and he seemed a little broken up, so I didn't talk to him anymore."

"I see. Has Luke?"

"Probably not," she answered. "Trying to give him space, you know?"

"That is one thing Nathan usually needs when he gets upset," she replied, nodding. "I wonder where he is."

"I don't know." She shrugged at Haley.

Haley sighed and tried to think back on all the places in Tree Hill that Nathan would go. Most likely he'd be at the River Court. That was the sanctuary of a lot of the boys growing up in Tree Hill. She herself had spent a ton of time there…but something told her that Nathan wouldn't go there. It was too easy. Anyone could find him there, and he wanted to be alone, she was sure.

She stood up, throwing some money on the table. "I'm going to take off, Brooke. I'm going to find him."

Brooke smiled. "Go get him, girl!"

---

Haley smiled to herself when she got to the last destination she could think of. She'd already been to the River Court (just in case), the spot where they had gotten married, which, by the way, was no longer a spot at the beach. It was like a condo area now. She'd tried the gym, she'd tried their old apartment, and she couldn't find him.

And now here she was, the last place she could think of. The bench on the street where he had first told her he loved her. They'd just gotten over a fight over her tattoo, which honored him. He couldn't figure out why she would get something that permanent, but she wouldn't have sex with him. And she knew that it was because she was falling in love with him. She was in love with him, and her tattoo was just a way to remember that. After that fight, he'd loved that tattoo. He'd spent a lot of time focusing on that thing.

She remembered every detail of the night he told her he loved her. She could remember what they were both wearing. Nathan in his dark jeans and sweatshirt, her in a denim skirt and high boots. She remembered the way he told her - in his soft voice that he only used on her. She could recall the way he smelled, and the way she hadn't even cared that they were making out on a bench on a public street in Tree Hill.

"Nathan!" she called out when she was close enough to him.

He glanced up and saw her. She looked pretty, and even though he was pretty upset with her, she wouldn't stop looking that way. He'd always think she was pretty. His breath caught in his throat as she got closer to him, and he got a whiff of the vanilla she was wearing. "Haley," he breathed out. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled gently. "Looking for you. What are you doing here? Reliving some old memories?"

He nodded and patted the spot beside him, looking out at the cars that were passing them. "The best ones."

"They were the best," she agreed as she sat down next to him. She smoothed out her long hair and turned to face him. "I've been looking for you."

"Oh yeah?" He turned his head. "What for?"

"I wanted to talk," she said simply, shrugging.

"Hales, I don't want to be rude, but…we did a lot of that already. It's gotten us nowhere."

"Well I didn't know what to say then," she explained. "But I've done a lot of thinking since then. I know what I want now, Nathan."

"Jared?" he guessed. He knew it wasn't Jared, but he was hurt. She'd hurt him by not wanting what he wanted, and he didn't want to get his hopes up if she decided after all the she didn't want him back. He didn't want to go through it. He'd lost her before and it nearly killed him. He wasn't ready to deal with that all over again.

"Jared just pisses me off," she said, rolling her eyes. "You know that."

"I don't know anything anymore, Haley," he replied. He watched as an old junker car passed by the two of them, and it reminded him of the car he and Haley used to share. Keith had helped him fix that car up, and Haley had been so excited when he told her. He wondered what happened to it. When he left Tree Hill, he'd left the car, telling his father to do whatever he wanted with it, but he'd never cared enough to find out where it went…until now. And that was probably only because he was sitting next to Haley.

"But you know that," she countered. "You know that I'm not even considering ever going back to him."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "I know."

"So…" She took a deep breath. "You're what I want."

Nathan shook his head. He couldn't believe that she'd just said that to him. He'd been waiting a long time to hear those words come out of her mouth, but since he'd been waiting so long, they were hard to believe. When he'd walked away from her, he didn't think she'd come back to him, telling him that he was what she wanted. He hadn't seen it coming…not by a long shot.

"Hales…"

"I've been thinking about it a lot," she told him, placing her finger over his lips. "I realized something at lunch today, and it's not that I love you…because I already knew that. I know it's going to be hard, but I don't care." She smiled at him. "I realized I'm not who I'm supposed to be when I don't have you. I'm this person that I just don't recognize…and I realized that all the hurt is going to be worth it if I have you in the end. I don't care about anything that happened back then. All I care about is you and me and that we belong together. None of the past matters…as long as I have you now."

He didn't know what to say. She'd just made every single dream he had come true for the two of them. And so he did the only thing he knew to do. He kissed her. He kissed her long and hard, and that was how the two of them sat. Kissing on the bench in Tree Hill where everything had started.

The End.


End file.
